Drugs: Frequently Asked Questions

We provide a wide range of services to support people using drugs in a problematic way

Drugs

No. Drug treatment services can be paid for but can also be accessed free to those who need them on the NHS. The Nottingham Recovery Network provides free support on behalf of the NHS to everybody in Nottingham City.

Legal highs remain a cheap fix and are still used by a lot of people, but they can also have dangerous and unpredictable results because there is no way of knowing exactly what is in them. Supposedly identical substances can therefore produce wildly different results.

Legal highs (or New Psychoactive Substances to give them their proper name) are synthetic compounds designed to mimic the effects of illegal drugs. They were previously sold as things like “bath salts” and “research chemicals” in order to subvert existing drug laws. Although it is still legal to possess these substances, it is illegal to sell them to anybody else. Sellers can face tough penalties.

Drug treatment should always be provided on a highly confidential basis. A health professional is only allowed to breach confidentiality in very limited situations – such as when there is a significant risk of imminent harm to another person. Confidentiality should normally always be discussed at the first assessment/appointment.

You don’t have to be addicted to drugs to need support. If your use of drugs is having an adverse effect on your health or your relationships with other people then yes, you may well need some support. What form that support takes depends entirely on you. If you suspect you may be addicted to drugs then the following section of our website will help you.

The risks of drugs depend on what category they fall into. Stimulants like cocaine, speed and ecstasy put pressure on your heart and increase the risk of heart failure. Depressants can be fatal because they slow your heart rate and your breathing. Hallucinogens can lead people to act in dangerous and unpredictable ways, and can also lead to mental ill-health. Frequent drug use can also lead to addiction, which intensifies risks to health and can have devastating consequences for your everyday life.

+  Drugs are broadly divided into three categories: stimulants, depressants and hallucinogens.

+  Stimulants make you feel alert and boost your confidence. They include cocaine, speed, ecstasy, and mephedrone.

+  Depressants make you feel relaxed and chilled out. They include alcohol, tranquillisers, heroin and cannabis.

+  Hallucinogens can alter our sense of reality and movement. They include LSD and magic mushrooms.

Some drugs fit into more than one of these categories and can have mixed effects.

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