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Get Help

Asking for help is the hardest bit. There’s no perfect time to do it and no perfect way. The pages below cover the most common starting points. Whatever you’re using, however long it’s been going on, recovery is possible.

Quick links: Before anything else · If you’re pregnant · I think I have a problem · Talking to a doctor · Meetings & mutual aid · NHS & treatment routes · Online & app-based recovery · If you’ve relapsed · In an emergency

Before anything else

Two things kill people who are trying to stop. Both are avoidable. Read this bit even if you read nothing else on here.

Don’t stop drinking, or come off benzos, on your own

If you drink heavily every day, stopping dead can kill you. Not make you rough. Kill you. Your body has adapted to having it, and taking it away suddenly can cause fits and something called delirium tremens, which people die from.

The same goes for benzodiazepines, which means Valium, diazepam, Xanax, street blues and anything in that family, and for pregabalin and gabapentin. Coming off those suddenly can also cause fits. If you are on both drink and benzos, that is more reason to get help with it, not less.

So don’t do it on your own. Keep taking what you’re taking for now and get an appointment. Ring your GP, or ring Aspire on 03000 213 900 and say you use every day and you want to stop safely. Ask about a managed reduction, which means coming down bit by bit with medication and someone checking on you. They do it all the time. It is not a lecture.

Ring 999 or get to A&E if you’ve stopped or cut right down and you’re shaking badly, sweating, being sick, confused, seeing or hearing things that aren’t there, or you’ve had a fit. That is not something to sweat out at home.

If you’re pregnant

This is the one nobody asks about out loud, so here it is plainly. If you’re pregnant and you’re drinking or using, the thing you’re weighing up probably isn’t the drug. It’s whether telling anybody means they take the baby. That’s the sum a lot of women are doing, and it’s why some turn up late to appointments and some don’t turn up at all.

First, don’t stop drink or benzos suddenly on your own, and that matters more now, not less. If you drink heavily every day, or you’re on diazepam or similar, stopping dead can cause a fit, and that’s dangerous for both of you. There is a way of doing it that’s managed and it needs somebody medical in it. Ring Aspire on 03000 213 900 or your GP today, before you stop anything.

Second, on telling your midwife. Nobody can tell you from a website what would happen in your case, and don’t trust anybody who says they can. What can be said honestly is this: telling somebody early puts you in a better position than it coming out later, and being open and getting support is generally treated as you doing right by the baby rather than as something held against you. Your midwife will probably want to bring other people in, usually a specialist midwife and the drug and alcohol service. That’s routine rather than a punishment. Ask her what it means in practice before you agree to anything, and she should tell you straight.

And you can ask before you commit to anything at all. Ring Aspire on 03000 213 900 and ask what happens if you tell your midwife and who gets told what. You don’t have to give your name to ask a question.

If you’ve had a break, your tolerance has gone

This is the one that gets people. A few weeks inside. A stay in hospital. A detox. Even a fortnight where you cut right down. Your tolerance drops fast, and what you were doing before can kill you now.

The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman looked at 83 drug-related deaths after release from prison. Twenty of them happened within a day of getting out, which is more than on any other single day. UK research puts the risk of a drug-related death in the first fortnight after release at roughly seven and a half times what it is over the ten weeks that follow. Those people weren’t chasing a bigger hit. They did what was normal for them a month earlier.

If you do use after a break, use a lot less than you think you need. Don’t use on your own. Don’t put drink, benzos or pregabalin on top of it, because that combination is what stops people breathing. Have someone with you who will ring 999 without having to think about it.

How to get naloxone in Doncaster

Naloxone reverses an opiate overdose. Heroin, methadone, oxy, fentanyl, any of them. It’s a nasal spray or an injection, it’s free, and it buys the twenty minutes it takes an ambulance to arrive. It does nothing for cocaine, alcohol or benzos, but it does no harm if you give it and you’ve guessed wrong, so give it anyway if you’re not sure.

Ask Aspire on 03000 213 900, who supply it and show you how to use it. Ask at a pharmacy, especially one that does needle exchange or supervised methadone. If you’ve already got a worker, ask them at your next appointment. Being shown how to use it takes about two minutes.

Carrying it doesn’t mean you’ve given up on stopping and it doesn’t mean you’re planning to use. Most people who use a kit use it on somebody else. Carrying it means somebody’s mum gets them back.

If you find someone who has overdosed

Ring 999 first. Say “not breathing” or “unconscious” and give the address. Ambulance crews are not there to get anyone in trouble, and police do not automatically attend an overdose call. We can’t tell you what will happen on any given night, but whatever you’re worried about is smaller than somebody dying on the floor in front of you.

Signs it’s an overdose and not a heavy sleep:

  • You can’t wake them, shouting their name or rubbing hard on their breastbone gets nothing.
  • Breathing that’s slow, shallow, gurgling or snoring, or has stopped altogether.
  • Lips, fingertips or face going blue or grey.
  • Skin cold and clammy, pupils pinned tiny.

Now look at whether they are actually breathing, and be honest about what you see. Occasional gasping, snoring or gurgling is not breathing. Resuscitation guidance treats that as a sign the heart has stopped, and it is the thing people most often mistake for somebody sleeping it off.

If they are not breathing, or only gasping: tell the 999 handler those exact words. They will talk you through chest compressions and stay on the line with you. Do exactly what the handler says and keep going until help arrives. Don’t put them on their side.

If they are breathing: put them on their side so they don’t choke if they’re sick, and stay with them.

Give naloxone if you’ve got it, whichever of those two you’re in. The kit tells you how much and when to give another dose, follow what’s on it.

Naloxone wears off and they can go back under, so they still need the ambulance even if they wake up and swear they’re fine.

Don’t put them in a bath, don’t walk them round the room, don’t get coffee down them. None of it works and it wastes the minutes that count.

Where this comes from: NHS guidance on alcohol and benzodiazepine withdrawal and on overdose, Talk to FRANK, Alcohol Change UK, UK resuscitation guidance on when to start CPR, and the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman’s bulletin on deaths after release. Checked 29 August 2026. Phoenix is not a medical service and this is not medical advice. If anything here conflicts with what a doctor, a pharmacist or a 999 handler tells you, listen to them.

I think I might have a problem

If you’re reading this, some part of you already knows. The fact that you’re searching is itself information. Ask yourself a few honest questions:

  • Am I using more than I want to, or for longer than I plan to?
  • Have I tried to cut down or stop and not been able to?
  • Is it costing me money I haven’t got?
  • Am I lying to people about it?
  • Has it cost me jobs, friendships, sleep, or my health?

If two or more of those land, you’re not “fine”. You’re also not broken. You’re somewhere a lot of people have been, and a lot of people have come back from.

You don’t have to call yourself an addict to ask for help. You don’t have to hit a “rock bottom”. The earlier you act, the more there is to save.

In Doncaster the main drug and alcohol service is Aspire, and you can refer yourself. You do not need your GP to do it for you and you do not need a diagnosis, just ring 03000 213 900 or walk in. Knowing what happens next makes the call easier: a duty team the same day, then a welcome session, then a proper assessment and a case manager who is yours. A family member can ring on your behalf, and they can get support for themselves whether or not you ever go. We have written the whole thing up, including the questions about confidentiality that Aspire do not answer anywhere on their own site, on our page about Aspire Doncaster.

Talking to a doctor or pharmacist

For most people the first practical step is your GP. They’ve heard it before, they aren’t there to judge you, and what you tell them is confidential.

What might help when you go in:

  • Write down what you’re using, how often, and how long for. It’s hard to be honest in the moment, but having it on paper takes the pressure off.
  • Mention sleep, mood, anxiety, eating. They’re all part of the picture.
  • Ask about referrals to local drug and alcohol services. In Doncaster the main NHS-funded service is Aspire Drug & Alcohol Services and you can also self-refer.
  • If you’re thinking about cutting down on alcohol, ask about a managed reduction. Going cold turkey from heavy drinking can be dangerous and shouldn’t be done without medical advice.

Pharmacists can also help. Many do confidential consultations on alcohol, smoking and substance use. You don’t need an appointment.

If your GP isn’t who you’d talk to first, that’s okay too. There are direct routes below.

Meetings & mutual aid

The 12-step fellowships are free, anonymous, and don’t ask for your details. You walk in, sit at the back, and listen until you feel ready to speak. You can leave any time. Most people who get sober use a mix of these and a recovery worker, not one or the other.

Full local listings, including women-only and faith-based options, are in our Peer Support & Mutual Aid directory.

NHS, charity and treatment routes

Beyond meetings, structured treatment helps a lot of people. The main routes:

  • Aspire Drug & Alcohol Services (Doncaster): NHS-funded, free, the local treatment service. Self-referral and walk-in. They can offer counselling, prescribing for opioid substitution, and group programmes.
  • Community detox: managed reduction at home with medication support and check-ins. Usually arranged through Aspire or your GP.
  • Inpatient detox: a short stay (usually 7 to 10 days) under medical supervision. Used when home detox isn’t safe.
  • Residential rehab: typically 4 to 12 weeks of structured group and one-to-one work. NHS-funded places are limited but available; charity-funded places (e.g. via Forward Trust, Phoenix Futures) are often quicker. Private rehab is also an option if cost isn’t a barrier.
  • Day programmes & recovery cafes: structured group time without staying overnight. Good when you’ve done a detox and need somewhere to channel your time.

Don’t get stuck on the labels. The right path depends on what you’re using, how dependent you are, and what your home situation looks like. A worker at Aspire or your GP can help you map this out.

Online & app-based recovery

If meetings or appointments feel too big a step, there are good things to start with from your sofa:

  • Try Dry (Alcohol Change UK app): track days off, see savings.
  • I Am Sober: simple sobriety counter and daily check-in.
  • SMART Recovery online meetings: video meetings 7 days a week.
  • One Year No Beer: paid programme, structured 28/90/365 day challenges.
  • Recovery podcasts: Russell Brand “Above the Noise”, Tara Schuster “Confidence on Demand”, “This Naked Mind” by Annie Grace, “After the Bell” (UK).

None of these replace human help. But they’re a way to start while you build up to walking into a meeting or a doctor’s surgery.

If you’ve relapsed

Relapse is part of a lot of recovery stories. It doesn’t undo the time you had. It doesn’t mean recovery doesn’t work. It means right now, today, you need to make the next call you would have made a week ago.

If your sponsor exists, ring them. If you’ve stopped going to meetings, go to one tonight. If you’ve been seeing someone at Aspire, ring them in the morning. The longer the gap between the relapse and the next bit of help, the harder it gets.

Don’t disappear out of shame. Everyone in the rooms has been there. The fastest way back is through other people, not on your own.

In an emergency

If you’ve taken something and you’re not sure you’re safe, or if you can’t keep yourself safe right now, call 999. You won’t be in trouble. Tell them what you’ve taken and how much.

  • Samaritans: 116 123, free, 24/7. They listen, they don’t judge, and you don’t have to be suicidal to call.
  • NHS 111: option 2 for mental health, 24/7.
  • RDaSH 24/7 Mental Health Crisis Line (Doncaster): 0800 804 8999.
  • Frank: drugs information and live chat at talktofrank.com or 0300 123 6600.

What’s next?

Pick one thing today. Just one. It might be ringing the AA helpline. It might be writing a list for your GP. It might be downloading an app. The first action breaks the spell of “I’ll do it next week”.

Phoenix Recovery Hub doesn’t do treatment ourselves, but if you’re not sure where to start and want to talk to someone with lived experience, drop us a message. We’ll point you at the right service for what you’re dealing with.