Help for people facing addiction and habit forming issues with drugs in Solihull are provided by Solihull Integrated Addiction Services (SIAS).
You can refer yourself to SIAS or customers can be referred by healthcare workers:
SIAS provides a range of confidential services and assessed support.
Drugs
Nobody can be certain how drugs will affect them personally, including:
- illegal drugs such as cannabis and cocaine
- prescribed medication such as painkillers and antidepressants
- so-called legal highs
Just having 1 joint, 1 pill or 1 pop can easily turn into a very bad experience, causing illness and injury or something even worse.
Common drug problems
People that are not in control of their drug use will often not feel well and get injured easily. Drug users can also:
- have no money
- get into debt
- lose friends
- have relationship problems
- lie frequently
- struggle at work or to keep a job
- be in trouble with the police and authorities
- hide the amount of prescription drugs they are taking
If you recognise any of these signs in yourself or a friend, family member or someone else, call SIAS on 0121 301 4141.
Legal highs
Legal highs are drugs which are not covered by current misuse of drugs laws. However, they are often considered illegal to sell under medicine laws and:
- many drugs and substances that were once classed as legal highs are now banned
- the Government is continuing to ban other legal highs
- are unregulated and often cause major health risks
- contain a mixture of chemicals
Legal highs are also known as:
- club drugs
- new psychoactive substances
- NPS
For facts and further information about legal highs, you can visit:
- the Frank website
- the NHS website
If you are worried about your own legal high drug use or how legal highs are affecting a friend, family member or someone else, call SIAS on 0121 301 4141.
Drugs and driving
It is illegal to drive in the UK if you have taken certain drugs or your driving is affected by drug taking.
If the police stop you and think you have taken drugs they will test your ability to drive. If drugs are found in your system you will be arrested and could be charged with drug driving.
For more information about drug driving you can visit the official Think! Road Safety campaign website.
FRANK – Friendly, confidential drugs advice
All links in this section take you to the www.talktofrank.com website. (www.talktofrank.com)
FRANK is a national drug education service created by the Department of Health. It aims to reduce the abuse of all drugs and medication, by providing facts and figures on the harms of drug use.
It offers help and support to adults and young people, providing such information as:
- an A-Z of drugs (http://www.talktofrank.com/drugs-a-z)
- guidance for people feeling under pressure to take drugs (http://www.talktofrank.com/are-you-under-the-influence)
- essential advice for parents and carers worried about a child (http://www.talktofrank.com/worried-about-a-child)
- local support search (http://www.talktofrank.com/need-support)
- what is typically involved in drug treatment (http://www.talktofrank.com/treatment-drug-problems-explained)