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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
Glasgow
Alcoholics Anonymous 50\\'e11ington Street. 330 3314
Holt 1'“ Want 5pm. 11345 7007555134 hour 1_ (iiotip support to help tackle alcoholism.
Dumbarton Area Council on Alcohol S3 |)uiiibarton Road. (lull-bunk. ‘15: USS I. ()llt‘l‘s general inloiination and ad\ ice including otte- lo one counselling lot" young people. Glasgow City Council Addiction Partnership w w wglasgowgovuk. .-\ range ol city wide set‘yices. including specilic support lor young people iii\o1\ed in drug and alcohol tise. Glasgow Council on Alcohol
Isl l'loot'. Bristol and \Vesl llotlsc. 83 l'nion Street. 330 588 i. Information. .id\ ice. one to one counselling and tiaiiiiiig for those .illected by alcohol. RCA Trust .\lii‘ren llouse. Hack Sneddon Street. l’aisley. 83711880. 1’rolecl giying 13 35-year-o1ds adyice on addiction issues.
Edinburgh
Alcoholics Anonymous
*8 (‘oclxburn Street. ('all 335 (1000 for meeting times.
Crew 2000
i3('oc1\burn Street. 331134115. .\lon Sat 1 5pm. 11111 4 8pm. Information on drugs and se\ual health and friendly
ady ice lroin trained workers. Edinburgh 8. Lothian Council on Alcohol (1(‘11l‘ltlllilyt‘l'l‘ilt‘k‘. 557 8188. lnloriiialion. ady ice atid support. Turning Point 3 Smith‘s Place. 554 "510. Mon l't'i 9.30am 5.511ptn. One to one counselling for addicts atid support for their lamilies.
West Lothian Drug and Alcohol service 4.5 Adelaide Slt‘L‘L‘l. (1013511111. |,i\ tngston. 111500 430 335. ('oiinselling. help in dealing with family issues and help in working towards employment opportunities.
Youth Action Project e/o ('oniinunity House. 55 .’\11L‘l' Place. lilll‘lll'll.1.l\1llg\ltill.ll15ll() 401 588. ,-\d\ ice and information for young people about substance misuse.
National
Drinkline
0800 0|“ 8283. Mon liri Uain 11pm. Sat .k Sun 0 1 1pm. l-‘ree confidential information and support.
Alcohol Focus Scotland
100 Buchanan Street. (ilasgow. (ll-ll 5"3 (F00. w w walcohol-focus— scotland.org.uk. Willi its inforinatiye. accessible website. this group offers an e\cellent source of information for people worried about their drinking. Know the Score 0800 587 587‘). w w w .know thescoreinfo. ('onlidential drugs information. 34 hours a day. 7 day s a week. ('alls made from a landline will not show tip on a phone bill and are free. (‘alls from a mobile \ary in cost depending on network and may show tip on your bill. The website has lots of adyice for anyone affected by drugs arid details of local support sei‘y ices.
116 THE LIST ‘7." My 300:"
Smokeline 0800 84 84 84. ltncouragetttenl and suppon for those \\ ho want to stop or haye recently sltippCtl smoking.
Mental Wellbeing
National
Breathing Space 0800 838 587 or .\linicom(1800 317 160.
w w w .breathingspacescot1and.co.uk. 0pm 3am. Free. confidential adyice for anyone feeling low or depressed. 9pm.
Sexual Health and STDs
Glasgow
Body Positive Strathclyde
‘) Sandyford Place. Sauchiehall Street. 348 9385.
w w wbodypositiye.org.uk. Drop-in centre open Mon. Wed. 1‘ri 9am- 5pm. 'l‘ue & Thu. 1 laiii 8pm. Information and support for people who are HIV positiye.
Genito-Urinary Medicine Clinic (GUM Clinic) The Sandyford Initiatiy e. 3 () Sandyford Place. Sauchiehall Street. 31 1 80111. Drop in clinics .\lon 1‘ri 8.30am 10am. By appointment at other times until 7pm Mon 1‘ri.
Rape Crisis Centre 0t4| 552 3300. www.rapecrisisscotland.org.uk. Tue Wed & Sun 7 ‘)pm: Thu 1- 3pm. Free and confidential seryice offering information and support to women and girls who have been or fear they may have been sexually abused or tissttllllcd.
Edinburgh
GUM Clinic Lauriston Building. Lauriston Place. 536 3 1(13. Moni‘ri 10am 5pm by appointment. For urgent problems. there is a walk-in clinic where no appointment is necessary from 8.30— 10.00am.
Moti l‘ri.
Edinburgh Women’s Rape & Sexual Abuse Centre 0131 556 9437. www.rapecrisisscot1and.org.uk. (‘all for opening hours. See Rape (‘risis Centre. (ilasgow.
National National AIDS Helpline 0800 567
133
Sexwise 0800 282 930. 7am~12pm. Provides information and advice on sexuality and sexual health for young people.
Sources of Advice
National
Crimestoppers 0800 555 I l I. ('all at any time with information about any crime. (‘alls are free and cannot be traced.
Victim Support Line 0845 30 30 900. limotional support and practical advice for anyone affected by crime. It's confidential. of course.
Women’s Health 8:
Glasgow
Glasgow Women’s Aid 4th Floor. 30 Bell Street. 553 2033. 9.30am~4.30pm Monri-‘ri. except Wed which is 9.30am—lpm for drop-in. and afternoon by appointment only. Drop- in and telephone counselling for
Edinburgh
Edinburgh and Lothian Women’s Aid 4 ('heyne Street. 315 81 10. Mon. Wed. Fri 10am—3pm. Thu 3—7pm. Sat 10am-- 1 3.30pm. Refuge. support and help for women suffering physical. mental or sexual abUse from their partners.
National Domestic Abuse Helpline 0800 027 1234 (24 hourl.
HEALTH&ADV|CE
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BEATING THE BINGE
If you go out on any night of the week, you’ll see a group of women in a bar enjoying a couple of bottles of wine and a natter with their chums. ‘How civilised’, you might think. But fast forward to another night of the week and the same group of women might be falling out of the same bar after consuming enough alcohol to floor an elephant. Hmm, not quite so civilised.
The proportion of adult women drinking in excess of 14 units a week (two-to-three a day is the recommended sensible level) has increased from 10% in 1988 to 17% in 2002. That’s a whopping 70% increase. 22% of adult women aged 16 and over reported drinking on at least five days per week. A survey for Company magazine found that 60% of the young women sampled reported drinking most of the recommended sensible drinking limit in one or two weekend sessions. Binge drinking: not good.
The survey also found that 66% woke up the next morning with no recollection of what had happened the night before, 50% said they had no idea how they got home and 10% reported going home with a stranger. Studies have shown that an estimated 52% of men convicted of sexual assault had been using alcohol prior to the attack.
Other than the immediate dangers, there are health risks uniquely associated with females drinking to excess. Women have a proportionally higher fat to water ratio than men and are therefore less able to dilute alcohol in their blood after drinking the same amount. Women appear to be more prone to liver damage from alcohol, as they develop alcohol-related liver diseases such as cirrhosis and hepatitis alter a shorter period of drinking and at a lower level than men.
The list goes on. Alcohol is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer and heavy drinking is a known cause of infertility, although a recent Danish study found that even small amounts of alcohol can affect fertility. In 2001, 2170 women died from illnesses directly attributable to alcohol.
Women are drinking more for a number of reasons. These clever beds in the drinks industry cottoned onto the increasing numbers of professional women with disposable incomes and marketed drinks and bars that are attractive to a female perspective. Gone are the days when all bars were dark, smoky places with the odd dog on a string - now it’s style bars all the way. Plus, alcohol is portrayed in adverts as glamorous and fashionable by women who are independent and fun loving. Who doesn’t want to have these attributes?
The statistics don‘t make for a pretty picture but then neither does falling out of your dress, being sick in the street, or losing control of your faculties. Get together with your girls and have a laugh, but moderation is the all important key. (Morag Bruce)