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Addiction Psychiatry guides
21 plain-English, evidence-linked guides in Addiction Psychiatry, with clinical review status shown on each page.
Addiction assessment (Comprehensive substance use (addiction) assessment)A confidential appointment that explores your alcohol or drug use, your health and your circumstances, so the right support and treatment plan can be agreed with you.Alcohol addiction treatment (Treatment of alcohol dependence and harmful drinking)Support and treatment to help you cut down or stop drinking safely, usually combining talking therapy, relapse-prevention medicines and, where needed, a medically supervised detox.Anti-craving medication / pharmacotherapy (Pharmacotherapy for addiction (anti-craving and relapse-prevention medicines))Prescription medicines that can reduce cravings or support staying off alcohol or other substances, used alongside psychological and social support rather than on their own.Benzodiazepine detox and withdrawal (Supervised benzodiazepine (and z-drug) withdrawal and dose reduction)A slow, medically supervised plan to reduce and stop benzodiazepines or z-drugs safely, because stopping these medicines suddenly can be dangerous and cause seizures.Cannabis dependence treatment (Treatment for cannabis use disorder (cannabis dependence))Support and treatment to help you cut down or stop cannabis when it has become hard to control, using talking therapy, practical help and care for your mental health.Cocaine addiction treatment (Treatment of cocaine (and stimulant) use disorder)Support and treatment to help you stop or control cocaine or crack use, based mainly on talking therapy and a keyworker, as there is no substitute medicine for stimulants.Drug addiction treatment (Treatment of drug (substance) dependence)Support and treatment to help you stop or control drug use, usually combining a keyworker, talking therapy and, for some drugs, medication, along with practical help and harm reduction.Dual diagnosis (addiction with mental illness) (Coexisting substance misuse and mental illness (dual diagnosis))Care for people who have both a mental illness and a drug, alcohol or behavioural problem at the same time, where the best approach is to treat both together rather than separately.Family support and intervention (Family and carer support in addiction; family intervention)Help and guidance for partners, parents, children, friends and carers affected by someone else's drinking or drug use — to look after themselves and, where possible, encourage their loved one towards help.Gambling addiction treatment (Treatment for gambling disorder (harmful gambling))Talking therapy, support and practical tools that help people who are harmed by gambling to regain control, with care for the money, relationship and mental health problems that often come with it.Gaming and internet addiction (Gaming disorder and problematic internet use)Assessment and support for people whose gaming or internet use has become hard to control and is harming their daily life, with honest care about what is and is not a recognised condition.Home detox programme (Community (home-based) medically assisted withdrawal)A medically assisted withdrawal carried out at home with regular professional monitoring, for carefully selected lower-risk people, usually for alcohol — with higher-risk people needing inpatient detox instead.Inpatient / residential rehabilitation referral (Referral to inpatient detox or residential rehabilitation for substance dependence)A referral into residential (live-in) treatment or inpatient detox for drug or alcohol dependence, where staying somewhere structured and supervised is safer or more helpful than treatment at home.Medically supervised alcohol detox (Medically assisted alcohol withdrawal (detoxification))A planned, medically supported withdrawal from alcohol for people who are physically dependent, using medicine to manage symptoms and prevent dangerous complications such as seizures.Motivational interviewing (Motivational interviewing (MI))A gentle, non-judgemental talking approach that helps you explore your own reasons for changing a habit like drinking, drug use or smoking — at your own pace.Opioid / heroin dependence treatment (Treatment of opioid dependence (opioid substitution and recovery))Treatment to help you stop or stabilise heroin or other opioid use safely, usually with a substitute medicine such as methadone or buprenorphine, alongside therapy, support and overdose-prevention.Painkiller / opioid dependence treatment (Treatment for opioid dependence (prescribed and non-prescribed))Support and treatment to safely reduce or stop opioid painkillers or other opioids you have become dependent on — using a planned taper or substitute medicine, with help for pain and overdose safety.Prescription medication dependence (Treatment for dependence on prescription and over-the-counter medicines)Support to safely reduce or stop prescribed or over-the-counter medicines you have become dependent on — such as sleeping tablets, tranquillisers, certain painkillers or nerve-pain medicines — using a slow, planned taper.Relapse prevention (Relapse prevention for addiction (substance and behavioural))A structured set of skills, plans and support that help you stay in recovery from drugs, alcohol or a behaviour like gambling after you have stopped or cut down.Sex and pornography addiction (Compulsive sexual behaviour disorder and problematic pornography use)Assessment and talking-therapy support for people whose sexual behaviour or pornography use feels out of control and is causing distress or harm, with honest care about a debated and evolving diagnosis.Stopping smoking (smoking cessation) (Smoking cessation / treatment of tobacco dependence)Support and treatment to help you stop smoking for good — combining behavioural help with stop-smoking medicines or a vape, which together give you the best chance of quitting.
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