This page lists a selection of organisations which provide expert health, advice and support in Glasgow and Edinburgh. The List gratefully acknowledges the support of the Scottish Executive in funding this page.
Alcohol and Narcotics
( ilasg ow
Alcoholics Anonymous
<1) \M‘llrrreton \treet. :30 33M \lon l'l'l ‘lgrm 5pm. (lb 15 “(N "555 13-1 hour). (ironp \upport to help taekle .rleoholrxm. Dumbarton Area Council on Alcohol 5: lhrmharton Road. ('l_\tlelt;tttk. U53 llbb l. ()llerx gettetgtl tnlot'ttt.rtrott and .uh tee meltrtlmg one—to one eotmxellme lor _\otmg_' people Glasgow City Council Addiction Partnership \\ \txvelaxgoxvgovuk. .\ range ol ell} \xttle \etx tees. melutlme \peetlie \ttppot'l lot _\otm;_' people m\o|\etl m drug: and .tleohol the. Glasgow Council on Alcohol
lxl l‘loor. Ht'txlol .ttltl \\e\t House. 33 l'mon Street. 33!» 338 i. lnlormation. .ttlx tee and one to one eotmxelling l’ot' tmder 25x illlkl othetx illlt'L‘lCtl h} aleohol. RCA Trust \lrrren llouxe. llaek Slletltlttll Street. l’;tl\lt‘}. XX? USN). l’t'oleet eh m; l.‘ 35 war (lltl\ :tth tee on .ltltllL'llllll l\\llL‘\,
Edinburgh
Alcoholics Anonymous
53 ('oekltttrtt Sll‘t‘t'l. (ittll 3:5 (“Nil ltll‘ meetng timex.
Crew 2000
33 ('oekhurn Street. 2le Lilli. .\lon Sat 1 5pm. ‘I‘lm -l 3pm. lnlormation on drug and \equ health and lrientll}
.ulx lee ltom trametl \\orket\.
Routhuts
Although rumours about drugs being cut with rat poison, ground glass and brick dust may have no forensic grounding, there’s still no way of telling what concoction you’re taking. No one batch is the same, but here’s a snapshot of what‘s been found.
Amphetamine: purity can range from t—tO‘ .t. Sometimes out With sugars. caffeine. etheclrrne. paracetemol. chalk and talcum powder.
Cocaine: purity varies hugely. an average is generally 50—60“; tbut can be as low as 20% and as high as 90‘ Al. Can be out wrth sugars Such as glueose. lactose or mannrtol.
Ecstasy: The average amount of MDMA in a genuine DI” is 70—80 mrlgv'ams. but COuld be much far more or less. Some DIllS sold as ecstasy may contain none at all, but Will be choc-a-block wrth other drugs Such as ketamme. amphetamine. caffeine. ephedrine and the tranqurlrser llunrtrazepam.
I For more tnt‘o C/le on
mm.knowthescore.Info. mm. drugsccwe. Org. uk.
wmv. talktofrank. com
124 THE LIST 1'3 11-; .
Edinburgh 8- Lothian Council on Alcohol (t ('IIlton ’l’erraee. ii" SINK. lllltll'llltllltlll. nth tee and support. Turning Point *Smrtlt'x l’l.tee. 55-1 75H). .\lon I'rr ‘l. Warn 5. illpm. (me to one L'tlllll\t‘lllllf_‘ lor .ulthetx .Illtl \upport lor their lamrlrex.
West Lothian Drug and Alcohol Service 4,5 :\tlt‘l;lltlL' hll'L‘L'l. (.l';tl_*_'\lllll. |.i\ ittgxton. lll5llh JR“ 235, ('otmxelhttg. help in tlealmg \\ rth lamil) ixxuex and help in \xorkme tonal’tlx emp|o_\ mth opportumttex. Youth Action Project e/o ('ommtmil} House. 33 .\ller l’laee. lilihttrn. l.i\mg_'\ton. (ll 50o JM 533. .'\(l\ tee and mlormatton lor )otme people about \tthxtanee mmrxe.
National
Drinkline
(Nil) Ul7 8382. Mon t-‘n 0am llptn. Sal & Sun 0 llpm. l'iree eonlitlential inl'ormation aml \upport.
Know the Score nxnn fix“ fix“).
\\ u \\ .knoxx thexeore.mlo. (‘onlitlentml drugs ml'ormation. ll hour\ a tlu}. " tlll}\ :1 week. (‘allx matle lrom .l lantllme \\ ill not \hou up on a phone bill and are lree. (‘allx l'rom a mobile \ar} tn eoxt depending; on netnork and ma} \htm up on _\our hill. The uehsite has lolx ol~ .ttl\ tee l'ot' anyme .tl'leetetl h} drug and details ot loertl \ttppot‘l \L‘l'\ lCC\.
Smokeline nxnn 34 34 3.1. linelmragement and \trpport tor thme \\ ho mmt to \lop or hm e reeentl} \toppetl smoking.
Mental Wellbeing
National
Breathing Space nxnn s33 5.x" or \lllllL‘Ullt (Hill) 5|“ lllll. xx\\u,hregtthingxpaeexeot|;uul.eo.ul\_ (‘l‘m 3am. liree. eonlitlential .ulx iee tor illl}(lllL‘ lL‘L‘llllfJ in“ Hl‘ tlL‘Pl'C\\t'tl.
Sexual Health and STDs
Glasgow
Body Positive Strathclyde ‘) Samhlortl l’laee. Sauehiehall Street. 348 0385, \\\\\\.hotl_\poxttneorgttk. l)l‘tlp-Ill CL‘llll‘L‘ UPC” \ltlll. \VL‘tl. l‘l‘l 0am 5pm. 'I‘ue tk Hm. I lam 8pm, lttlot'tttaltott .mtl \uppot‘l lor people \khn are HIV poxitne.
Genito-Urinary Medicine Clinic Clinic) The Stilltl} l-lll'tl Initiatne. 3 (\ Samlxlortl l’laee. Suuehiehall Street. Ill mot. Drop m elmiex .\lon liri .\'..‘~ll.tm Illam. H} appointment at other lllllL‘\ lllllll "pm Mon l‘rt. .’\tl\ tee on eonttaeeptron .l\
\\ ell ax \upport. eounxelling. testing and
HEALTH&ADV|CE
THE BOOZE BLUES
I If there was another substance whose overuse led to behaving like an idiot, getting into potentially dangerous situations and being violently sick, there’s a strong chance that we wouldn’t dream of having it again. But with alcohol, we can’t get enough. All that slurring and shouting is because our body can’t process the huge amounts of it we drink.
Alex Meikle, Chief Executive of Glasgow Council on Alcohol, thinks we’re happiest when turning a blind eye. ‘With alcohol, there‘s no connection between knowledge and behaviour. We’re very good at disassociating from the effects it has.’
80, the mechanics of drinking. Alcohol requires no digestion, so it passes rapidly into the blood. Initial feelings of relaxation and loss of inhibition belie the fact that alcohol is a depressant. When it reaches the brain it wreaks havoc with nerve cells, inhibiting the ‘chatter‘ between them, slowing the nervous system down and acting like an anaesthetic.
It’s eliminated at approximately one unit per hour through urine and breath and is broken down by enzymes in the liver. A 175ml glass of wine and an average strength pint of lager both contain two units, so it’s not surprising that it doesn’t take long for alcohol levels in the blood to rise to levels which drastically reduce the ability to walk in a straight line and say ‘hey, let’s not fight about this’ at the right moment.
A scabby horse is appetising when drunk. This need to eat anything in sight is brought on because alcohol stimulates the production of insulin, causing blood sugar levels to plummet, hence the feelings of hunger on the night and trembling, drowsiness and faintness the next day.
Old wives may tell tales of drinking black coffee to sober you up, and whilst this may make you feel slightly more alert, it will have no effect on the alcohol levels in your blood. Then there‘s the morning after. Alcohol acts as a diuretic, and dehydration makes you wake up feeling like there’s a steam roller on your head. It’s an irritant, hence the ‘ohmygodimgonnapuke’ feeling. Darker drinks such as red wine contains toxins called congeners (a by-product of fermentation). Lovely stuff.
How do you avoid all this nastiness? Alex feels that suggesting people shoudn’t drink at all is unrealistic at this time of year, but keep his common sense tips in mind: “alternate alcohol with soft drinks and try not to get involved in big rounds, it means you drink at the fastest person’s pace; always make sure you have an exit strategy; make plans
to get home safely'.
I Free COnf/dent/a/ mtforrnflmm and :;t/,r,r.:r_;/." Drink/w: 080‘“! ’I ’ / Paw-2;:
treatment tor people \kllll \e\tt.tll_\ transmitted tlI\L';l\C\.
Edinburgh
GUM Clinic l..llll'l\lHll Hurltlme. l..tlll'l\ltlll l’laee. .5 Vt Illli \lon l‘ll Illam 5pm h} appointment lot urgent problemx. there I\ .l nalk Ill elmn where no appointment I\ tteeexxat} lrom Kill lllllllam. \lon l'l'l.
Women’s Health & Support Glasgox'.’
Glasgow Women’s Aid 4m l it't'l. Hell Slice-1.551 2H2: *t 1min 4 Wyn.
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\lott I ll. cut-pt \\etl ninth 1x
‘I Warn lpnt lot tltop lll. .mtl .rtternoon h. .tppomttnent onlj. Drop tn .mtl telephony wunxellm: lot '.'.orn~.-n
Eilznlgurgl':
Edinburgh and Lothian Women’s Aid -1 (home \lteel. ‘l5 51 ill \lon. \\’t'll. i ll lll.nn 1pm. llml _l‘Ilt. \rt
lll.:rrl I: 1“put Retiree. \llltlnlll .lllll help lot ‘-‘-Hllt.‘l1\lllle'llll:l‘ll:.\l\.tl.lll.'ltl.:ltll \extml .li‘lht' hour then l‘.:llll.'l\
Nallrjlla Domestic Abuse Helpline twill H1"
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