Help and Support
This section of the website aims to provide a range of information, help and support related to drug and alcohol use in the Highland area. Here you will be able to find further resources on harm reduction and needle exchange, services for adults and young people, delivery of Alcohol Brief Interventions (ABIs) and links to a variety of online resources and toolkits.
Harm Reduction
Harm reduction is an approach that aims to reduce the risks associated with some drug and alcohol behaviours, for example, reducing the sharing of injecting equipment and by providing advice on staying safe. This approach can support people with problematic drug and alcohol use engage with services and may be the first step in the recovery journey for some people. Harm reduction interventions are integrated into the delivery of drug and alcohol recovery services in Highland.
Peer Support
There is a growing network of mutual aid and peer support available in Highland. These are groups of people who have had drug or alcohol issues themselves and who come together to help each other. Spending time with others who have been though similar issues and learned how to deal with them can make all the difference in recovery from drug and alcohol problems.
Professional Services
A range of professional services delivered by NHS Highland, Highland Council and the voluntary sector are available to support people experiencing problems with alcohol and/or drugs in Highland. Statutory services in Highland were renamed in February 2017 to become the Drug and Alcohol Recovery Service to reflect their ethos:
Recovery from drug and alcohol use is an everyday reality in thousands of lives. Many pathways to recovery exist and recovered people are part of the solution. The aim and focus of all our work is recovery.
All of these kinds of help are listed in the service directory or on these webpages.
Page last updated: 21 December 2022