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Addiction Specialist Services

The following organisations provide statewide treatment and support to individuals and families affected by addiction in Victoria, Tasmania and the Northern Territory. Please click on the links below to view addiction service information for your state.

For Health and Welfare Professionals

Drug and Alcohol Clinical Advisory Service (DACAS)

DACAS is a free 24/7 specialist telephone advisory service that assists health and welfare professionals to respond effectively to individuals with alcohol or other drug use problems and addictive behaviours. Secondary consultation from DACAS is available to health and welfare professionals working in Victoria, Tasmania and the Northern Territory. The contact numbers for each state are as follows:

All calls to DACAS are initially answered by experienced clinicians from Turning Point. Calls that require specialist medical advice are referred on to DACAS consultants for a secondary consultation. DACAS consultants are experienced addiction medicine specialists or addiction psychiatrists working in Victoria.
 
All DACAS consultants aim to respond to requests for secondary consultation within one hour, or as soon as possible if the matter is urgent.

DACAS is available to provide assistance with alcohol or other drug use problems and their management including:

  • Assessment of alcohol or other drug use problems and their complications
  • Management of withdrawal syndromes
  • Management of intoxication and toxicity
  • Management of medical and psychiatric complications associated with alcohol and other drug use
  • Harm minimisation advice
  • Prescribing of opioid agonist treatments (methadone and buprenorphine)
  • Prescribing of alcohol pharmacotherapies (e.g. naltrexone and acamprosate)
  • Pain management in the context of opioid agonist treatments
  • Management of high risk prescription medicine use

General Practitioner Clinical Advisory Service (GPCAS)

Victorian general practitioners and nurse practitioners seeking advice about high-risk prescription medicine use identified through SafeScript are encouraged to call or email GPCAS for these enquiries. GPCAS provides free specialised peer-to-peer advice and mentoring regarding these issues.

Visit the GPCAS webpage for more information and contact details

For the General Public

Please note that while this website provides information about alcohol and drug facts and treatment, it is not intended to provide medical advice to an individual. Members of public accessing this website are encouraged to seek advice from a health professional, for guidance tailored to their circumstances and needs.

DACAS is a specialist telephone consultancy service available to health and welfare professionals only. Members of the public are advised to contact the services below for their own support.

DirectLine

DirectLine and the ADIS services are 24/7 counselling, information and referral helplines for people concerned about alcohol or other drug use problems. These services are free to call (from a landline), anonymous and confidential. Calls are answered by professional counsellors experienced in alcohol and drug-related concerns. You can call DirectLine on 1800 888 236

DirectLine and ADIS counsellors can provide: 

  • Immediate counselling and support, including crisis intervention
  • Support in dealing with the impact of drug use on the family and relationships
  • Assistance to develop strategies to deal with an alcohol or drug problem
  • Harm minimisation strategies
  • Information and referral to treatment and support services across Victoria, Tasmania and the Northern Territory.

You can call Alcohol & Drug Information Service, ADIS (TAS) on1800 811 994 and ADIS (NT) on 1800 131 350

Visit their website

Counselling Online

Counselling Online is a 24/7 free online service providing real time counselling for alcohol or other drug related issues. The service operates Australia-wide and is available to Australian residents who are concerned about a drug or alcohol problem.

Visit their website

Gambling Help Online

Gambling Help Online is a 24/7 free online service providing real time counselling for gambling issues. The service operates Australia-wide and is available to Australian residents who are concerned about their gambling.

Visit their website