The next hour
If tonight is the hard part.
You do not need a speech. You need the next right phone call, and somewhere the urge cannot finish the sentence for you.
You might use, drink, or bet in the next hour
- Leave the room the stuff is in. If you cannot, call someone before you decide, not after.
- Eat something. The urge is often shorter than the story it tells, if you do not feed it a plan.
- Gambling: close the app. If you have not already, start GAMSTOP even if it feels pointless at this hour.
- Put the phone that has the dealer, the app, or the site in another room if you safely can.
Do not stop alcohol or tablets alone tonight
If you have been drinking heavily every day, or you take benzodiazepines, stopping suddenly can cause seizures. That is a medical problem, not a test of will.
- Call 111 if you are already shaky, confused, sweating heavily, or seeing things that are not there.
- Call 999 if someone is fitting, collapsing, or you think it is an overdose.
- In the morning, call the local drug and alcohol service. They expect this phone call.
Someone will not wake up
Slow breathing, blue lips, a fit, or you cannot wake them: call 999 and stay. If opioids might be involved and you have naloxone, use it, then still call 999. A clinic can give you naloxone to keep at home before the next time.
You might hurt yourself
If you are in immediate danger, call 999. Samaritans will stay on the line. You do not have to explain the addiction first.