Information for family and friends

Information for family and friends.

Welcome.

This page is for people who have someone in their life experiencing issues with alcohol or other drugs. It contains information on how your loved one can access treatment, and information about who to contact for advice and support for yourself.

In an emergency, dial 000. Other 24-hour hotlines (including crisis services) are listed in the drop-down menu that appears at the top of each page on this website.

Helping someone access treatment

How your loved one can self-refer

To access treatment through Victoria’s public alcohol and other drug system, a person first needs to have an Intake and Assessment session.

Intake and Assessment can be over the phone or in-person and involves a trained clinician talking with the person to understand their needs, goals and exploring suitable treatment options together. During Intake and Assessment, the person is welcome to tell the clinician that they are interested in coming to Windana.

To have an Intake and Assessment session, the person can call DirectLine (Victoria’s central alcohol and other drug referral service) on 1800 888 236 or contact them via www.directline.org.au. The person can also contact their Intake and Assessment provider that looks after the local area where they live.

Having conversations

If you choose to talk to a friend or family member about their alcohol or drug use, there are resources available – and services you can talk to first – to help you feel more prepared.

The Australian Drug Foundation’s website has a helpful ‘Having the conversation’ page for friends and family. This includes strategies you can consider when talking to someone about their alcohol or drug use.

Health Direct (an Australian government website offering health advice) also has a helpful and detailed page: ‘How to help someone who is misusing drugs or alcohol’. This includes information about what alcohol and drug misuse is, how to prepare for conversations with someone you are concerned about and advice/suggestions for when the person chooses not to seek treatment.
You can also consider contacting one of the services in the section below for advice if you are preparing to have a conversation.

If your loved one prefers, they can also talk to their GP (doctor) or a social worker who will be able to help start the Intake and Assessment process. For some services, GPs or other workers may also be able to refer to us directly.  

If you have any general questions about how accessing treatment works, you are also welcome to contact Windana Reception on 03 9529 7955 between 9:00am and 4:30pm, Monday to Friday.

Support for you.

Your needs are important too. There are special services available in Victoria that are there to help friends, family members, partners etc. of people who use alcohol and other drugs. These are free and confidential. These services can listen to your story and provide compassion, support and information based on what you’re experiencing.

Family Drug Support
Phone: 1300 368 186 (24-hours a day, seven days a week)
Website: www.fds.org.au

Family Drug and Gambling Hotline (SHARC)
Phone: 1300 660 068 (24-hours a day, seven days a week)
Website: https://www.sharc.org.au/sharc-programs/family-drug-gambling-help/

You can also contact DirectLine on 1800 888 236 or at www.directline.org.au for confidential counselling and information about services that can help your loved one and you, including referral steps for alcohol and other drug treatment.

Other services

There are more places you can reach out to for help. Some give general assistance if you’re experiencing a crisis, and others can offer specialised support.

LifeLine (crisis support)
Phone: 13 11 14 (24-hours a day, seven days a week)
Text: 0477 131 114
Website: www.lifeline.org.au

13 YARN (For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in crisis)
Phone: 13 92 76 (24-hours a day, seven days a week)
Website: www.13yarn.org.au

Brother to Brother (For Aboriginal men)
Phone: 1800 435 799 (24-hours a day, seven days a week)
Website: www.dardimunwurro.com.au/brother-to-brother

Safe Steps (family violence help)
Phone: 1800 015 188 (24-hours a day, seven days a week)
Email:
Website: www.safesteps.org.au

Beyond Blue (mental health support)
Phone: 1300 224 636 (24-hours a day, seven days a week)
Website: www.beyondblue.org.au

Contacting someone staying at Windana.

General info

There are different processes in place for phone calls and visiting clients/residents at our detox (withdrawal) and rehabilitation programs.

If you need a message to reach a client or resident at Windana, it’s best to contact the location (via Windana Reception on 03 9529 7955) and leave a message.