Most people who land on a page like this are not researching a topic. They are frightened about someone, or about themselves, and they want to know two things: how bad is this, and what do I do next. These guides are written to answer those two questions in plain language, without jargon and without a sales pitch.

Alternative Addiction is not a treatment provider. We publish reference information and a directory, which means we have no reason to tell you that you need a more expensive level of care than you actually do.

Start here if you are worried about someone

• Helping someone you love. What actually works, what backfires, how to have the conversation, and how to set limits without cutting the person off.
• Is this actually addiction?. The eleven criteria clinicians use, translated into ordinary language, plus what addiction is not.

Guides to specific drugs

Detailed guides to alcohol, fentanyl, opioids, heroin, benzodiazepines, methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana are in progress and will appear here as they are published.

In the meantime, two free resources will answer substance specific questions properly. The SAMHSA National Helpline on 1-800-662-4357 is staffed 24 hours a day in English and Spanish and will talk through a specific drug and a specific situation at no cost. FindTreatment.gov is the federal directory of licensed programs, searchable by level of care and payment type, and it is not paid placement.

The one thing worth doing today

If opioids are anywhere in your household, or if the person you are worried about uses any street drug at all, get naloxone. Counterfeit pills, cocaine and methamphetamine are all now commonly contaminated with fentanyl, and people with no opioid tolerance are the ones most likely to die from it.

Naloxone nasal spray is sold over the counter without a prescription and is free through many state and county programs. Fentanyl overdoses often need more than one dose: give a dose, wait two to three minutes, give another if there is no response, and stay with the person because naloxone can wear off before the drug does.

How to use the directory

Our treatment directory lists programs by location and level of care. Before you call anyone, it is worth knowing that levels of care run from medically supervised detox, through residential treatment, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, and standard outpatient therapy. Matching the level to the actual need is the single most important decision in this process, and it should come from an assessment rather than from whoever answers the phone first.

Detox on its own is not treatment. Completing withdrawal without follow-on care has poor outcomes, and with opioids it raises overdose risk because tolerance drops while nothing else has changed.