Pick one of three first moves today: book a GP appointment, self-refer to your free local drug service, or ring FRANK on 0300 123 6600, which is open around the clock. Before any of that, check one thing. If you also drink heavily, or you take benzodiazepines, stopping suddenly can kill you. That one needs a prescriber first.
Check which risk you're in before you stop anything
People get hurt when this gets blurred. Someone comes off heroin, finds it survivable, and decides the alcohol warnings were exaggerated too. They weren't.
| What you're stopping | Is stopping suddenly dangerous? | What to do | |---|---|---| | Alcohol, benzodiazepines, GHB or GBL | Yes. UK clinical guidelines warn that "stopping suddenly or reducing their alcohol use too quickly can lead to severe complications and can even be fatal" | Don't stop on your own. See a GP or a drug service first and ask about a medically supported reduction | | Heroin, methadone, oxycodone, other opioids | The withdrawal itself usually isn't. The World Health Organization puts it plainly: "opioid withdrawal is not usually life-threatening". The danger comes afterwards | Ask about substitute prescribing, and get naloxone. Your tolerance drops fast, so a dose you used to handle can now kill you | | Cocaine, crack, cannabis, ketamine, most stimulants | Not physically dangerous in the same way, though low mood after stopping stimulants can get dark | You can stop without a prescriber, but tell someone. If your mood drops badly, call your GP or Samaritans on 116 123 |
If your drinking sits alongside your drug use, treat the alcohol as the urgent part. It is the one that can go wrong fastest.
The opioid row catches people out because it reads like good news. It isn't. The weeks after are when the overdoses happen, because your body has quietly lost the tolerance it spent years building. The NHS says it in one line: detox lowers your tolerance, so your risk of overdosing is higher if you use afterwards. Which is why naloxone matters. The [World Health Organization](https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/opioid-overdose) "recommends that naloxone be made available to people likely to witness an opioid overdose, as well as training in the management of opioid overdose". Ask about a kit, and read [naloxone and keeping yourself alive](/guides/drugs/naloxone-and-keeping-yourself-alive) before you stop, not after.
Benzodiazepines deserve their own line. Coming off them needs a prescriber and a slow reduction planned with you, never an abrupt stop. NICE guidance on medicines linked to dependence is direct: "Do not stop a medicine abruptly (complete cessation with immediate effect) unless there are exceptional medical circumstances." That holds whether they came from a pharmacy or from a mate.
Three first moves, pick one today
- **Book a GP appointment.** The NHS says "a GP may be a good place to start. They can discuss your problems with you and help get you into treatment." You don't need to have stopped first. You don't need a speech prepared. "I'm using and I want help stopping" is enough of an opening line.
- **Contact a free local service directly.** [We Are With You](https://www.wearewithyou.org.uk/help-and-advice/) lists free drug and alcohol services across England and Scotland, and runs a live webchat staffed by trained recovery workers. Look your area up and get in touch today, without waiting for a referral.
- **Phone someone tonight.** FRANK is on 0300 123 6600, 24 hours a day. Narcotics Anonymous UK is on 0300 999 1212 between 10am and midnight. Cocaine Anonymous UK is on 0800 612 0225. SMART Recovery UK, a skills-based route outside the fellowship model, is on 0330 053 6022.
Where there's an immediate risk to life, a suspected overdose, or withdrawal that's frightening you right now, We Are With You's advice is to call 999. That's what it's for. Use it.
What actually happens when you make contact
The first appointment is an assessment. Roughly an hour of questions about what you're using, how much of it, how often, and what else is going on around it.
Then you get a keyworker. The NHS is specific: "you'll also be given a keyworker, who will support you throughout your treatment." One named person who knows your case.
If opioids are involved, medication comes up early. "If you're dependent on heroin or another opioid, you may be offered a substitute medicine, such as methadone or buprenorphine." That's standard practice. The US [National Institute on Drug Abuse](https://nida.nih.gov/publications/drugfacts/treatment-approaches-drug-addiction) states that "treatment with methadone, buprenorphine, or naltrexone is standard of care for opioid use disorder." Taking a prescription is a recognised treatment, whatever anyone tells you in a meeting.
Residential rehab is one option among several, and for most people in the UK it isn't the starting point. If someone is selling you a private bed before anyone has assessed you, call a free service for a second opinion.
If a doctor prescribed the thing you're now dependent on
You took what you were given, at the dose written on the box, and somewhere along the way your body stopped agreeing to stop. You didn't fail at anything. This is a known pharmacological outcome, which is why national guidance exists to manage it.
NICE tells prescribers to "suggest a slow, stepwise rate of reduction proportionate to the existing dose, so that decrements become smaller as the dose is lowered." Smaller steps as you go down, not bigger. If your GP wants to halve you every fortnight and you're struggling, that guidance is yours to point at. Ask for a written reduction plan with dates.
The next two weeks
The second move is closing the door you use to get supplied, because willpower against an open supply line is a losing game. That's covered in [cutting off the supply](/guides/drugs/cutting-off-your-dealer-and-your-supply).
Expect cravings in waves rather than a flat line. Each one passes, and there are things that help you sit through it. Start with [getting through a craving without using](/guides/drugs/getting-through-a-craving-without-using). If you're still unsure whether any of this applies to you, [is my drug use a problem](/guides/drugs/is-my-drug-use-a-problem) is a more honest starting point than a symptom checker.
Renovyn tracks your days and lets the people supporting you see how you're doing without you having to explain it every time. It sits alongside treatment. It doesn't replace it, and it never will.
Common questions
**Can you detox from cocaine at home?** Cocaine withdrawal isn't physically dangerous the way alcohol or benzodiazepine withdrawal is, so stopping at home is possible. The harder part is the crash: exhaustion, heavy sleep, and a flatness in your mood that can run for a couple of weeks. If your mood drops into thoughts of harming yourself, call your GP or Samaritans on 116 123.
**How long do weed withdrawal symptoms last?** Most people report the worst of it between day two and day seven, with sleep disruption, night sweats, irritability, headaches, and appetite loss. It usually eases over two to four weeks. It's uncomfortable. It isn't dangerous, and it does end.
**Do I have to go to rehab to stop?** No. Most drug treatment in the UK happens in the community, through your GP or a local service, with no residential stay. Residential rehab suits some situations, and it's a decision to make with a clinician after an assessment rather than before one.
**Is it safe to stop taking my prescribed medication?** Not without your prescriber. National guidance says medicines linked to dependence should be reduced in gradual steps, with the steps getting smaller as the dose falls. Ask for a written reduction plan before you change anything.
**What if I've already tried and gone back to using?** The National Institute on Drug Abuse describes a return to use as "often part of the treatment and recovery process", and services plan for it. Tell your keyworker or GP rather than dropping out of contact. One thing to know first: your tolerance drops while you're not using, so going back to your old amount carries real overdose risk.
Sources
- [NHS: getting help for drug addiction](https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/addiction-support/drug-addiction-getting-help/), for the GP route, keyworkers and substitute prescribing.
- [UK clinical guidelines for alcohol treatment, harm reduction](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/clinical-guidelines-for-alcohol-treatment/8-harm-reduction), for the warning that cutting alcohol too fast can be fatal.
- [WHO clinical guidelines for withdrawal management](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK310652/), for opioid withdrawal not usually being life-threatening, and the overdose risk from reduced tolerance.
- [NICE NG215 on medicines associated with dependence](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK580680/), for no abrupt stops and stepwise reductions.
