Different setting to find counselling for drug and alcohol misuse.

There are many settings in which you can go to for drug and alcohol counselling, they may be anything from a residential treatment Centre, daycare programs, hospitals, drop in needle exchange, private clinics, social services in the department of substance use team, specialist counselling agencies or  doctors surgeries and even a drug dependency unit known as (DDU). Each place will have its own specialist area and aims. 

Several counselling therapies are available for drug and alcohol abuse but no one method is known to be best. Equally no single approach as appropriate for everyone with an addiction. The right drug and alcohol abuse treatment plans are tailored to a persons addiction and to the individual needs. You can have personal counselling therapy but it is also good to be involved in a group therapy, other people are  more likely to challenge and support you as they are also going through rehabilitation. There are programs like the 12 step, narcotics anonymous, AA meetings, so if I was the counsellor I would be aware that even though I would be seeing a client with an addiction, they may even be involved in an outside support group as well as their GP.

There are many approaches in alcohol and drug counselling, they can be divided into four basic models which are:

1, Harm minimisation model, this means that you can go to places like needle  exchanges where you can be taught how to be safe when using drugs, and how to look after yourself without sharing needles and spreading HIV, AIDS and many more diseases.

2, Controlled use and social learning theory model, this means having help in reducing the level of drugs taken to a safer level, and to get some information of how to come off drugs and their side-effects of using.

3, The 12 steps model, examples of this would be AA model for alcoholics Anonymous, The Minnesota model. These groups are self help groups where you can go to  meetings, the addiction is seen as a disease and methods are away of beating it.

4, Psychotherapeutic counselling, it is a talking therapy and is focused on a persons issues and any past  difficulties that's may be a factor in the substance misuse.

(I am aware that the level of help and support can depend on the area you live in.)