Drugs and alcohol support
Drugs and alcohol misuse is when a person regularly uses drugs or alcohol to change their mood, emotion or state of consciousness. During 2022/2023, there were 1,809 Tower Hamlets residents in effective treatment. However we know there is still a big proportion of residents not accessing treatment. Whether you are looking for advice or concerned about someone you know – there is help available.
In this section you will find all the contact details you need to get expert advice in the community. These services are all free to anyone living in Tower Hamlets.
RESET Treatment and Recovery Support Service
Integrated structured drug and alcohol treatment service for adults in Tower Hamlets
RESET Treatment Service (RTS)
RESET Treatment Service (RTS) is the front door service to structured drug and alcohol treatment for residents aged 18 or over.
RTS supports residents, family and friends concerned about someone’s drug and/or alcohol use and provides help for people looking to stabilise or become free from their substance use.
This includes support with
- long term recovery
- reducing harms associated with their drug and alcohol use
- access to residential rehabilitation.
Find us
- 183 Whitechapel Road, E1 1DN
Monday, Thursday (10am to 8pm), Tuesday and Friday (10am to 5pm), Wednesday (1 to 5pm)
- 71a Johnson Street, E1 0AQ
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday (10am to 5pm), Wednesday (1 to 5pm)
RESET Recovery Support Service (RRSS)
RESET Recovery Support Service (RRSS) offers a wide range of one-to-one and group sessions to support residents and their family members, throughout and beyond treatment for their substance use.
Find us
The Alma, 41 Spelman Street, London, E1 5LQ
Opening times vary and based on group sessions. Contact RESET for more information.
Safe East (Compass UK)
Integrated Young People’s Health and Wellbeing Service
Safe East provides a specialist confidential service for young people aged 10-19 years who are misusing drugs and/or alcohol. All referrals must have the young person’s consent.
Safe East Clinical Hub
59 Mile End Road
Mile End
E1 4TT
Tel: 020 3954 0091
Email: compass.towerhamletsyphws@nhs.net
For more information about the service, opening hours and other venues, visit the Compass UK website.
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RESET Treatment Services include
- Advice and information for people who use drugs and/or alcohol and concerned others
- Community alcohol detoxification
- Assessment for residential detoxification and rehabilitation services
- Healthcare assessments
- Access to needle exchange service and harm reduction advice
- Testing for HIV, Hepatitis B, C. and Hepatitis B vaccination
- Counselling and 1:1 key working sessions
- Support for clients experiencing domestic violence
- Onward referral to further support services as required
- Signposting and access to mutual aid groups such as AA, NA and Smart Recovery.
Any adult living in Tower Hamlets that needs support with their drug or alcohol use can self-refer to RESET by calling 020 3889 9510 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) or in person at one of their sites.
Make a professional or self-referral online.
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RESET Recovery Support Services include
- Brief interventions for relapse prevention
- Support with accommodation, education, training and employment opportunities
- Mutual aid
- Family and carers interventions
- Peer-led recovery support
- Complementary therapies
- Flexible structured psychosocial day programmes (abstinent, stable or active groups in their substance use)
- Structured counselling (including couples counselling)
- Recovery support activities based at RESET Treatment Service
- Weekend service user led sessions and activities
Any adult living in Tower Hamlets that needs support with their drug or alcohol use can self-refer to RESET by calling 020 3889 9510 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) or in person at one of their sites.
Make a professional or self-referral online.
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Compass Safe East provide
- Free confidential services, anyone can refer
- Personalised assessment, planning and review
- Therapeutic interventions around drug/ alcohol use related issues through 1-2-1 support
- A named key worker
- Partnership working with other services to support wider needs
- Access to activities/ resources to meet personal goals
- 1-2-1 meetings held at a location to suit the need of the young person
- Harm reduction advice and access to further support
- Awareness raising and education for young people
- Sexual health screening, testing and treatment.
For more information or advice, call 020 3954 0091 or email compass.towerhamletsyphws@nhs.net
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P-RESET is the Primary Care element of the integrated drug and alcohol treatment system in Tower Hamlets. P-RESET services are based in local GP practices and work with RESET Treatment in providing care for residents with drug and alcohol problems. Services include
- alcohol screenings
- annual health checks for respiratory
- blood pressure
- height and weight checks
- cervical screenings for women
- quit smoking services (if needed).
Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST) is also offered as ‘Shared Care’ in partnership with RESET Treatment for ‘less complex’ opiate/opioid dependent residents.
Visit your local GP in person for more advice or complete a GP registration online.
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Harmful drinking is the biggest risk factor for death, ill-health and disability among 15 to 49-year-olds in the UK. If you are concerned about your drinking, you can take the two minute DrinkCoach test. A free and confidential way to find out how risky your drinking is. Depending on your score, you could be signposted to additional support services in your area, including RESET.
For more information on alcohol guidelines and what Public Health are doing to tackle issues associated to alcohol misuse, visit the alcohol advice page.
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Drug misuse is when a person regularly takes one or more drugs to change their mood, emotion or state of consciousness. This can significantly increase the risk of addiction, mental health problems and lead to other illnesses and health problems, including accidents. Possession and selling of some drugs are also an arrestable offence and can lead to a prison sentence.
For more information on common drugs, health risks and the laws around them, visit the common drugs - get the facts page.
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The effects of Illegal drugs can cause problems when misused. All parents and carers should know something about them to help protect their children, family members and friends from risk.
For more information on what signs to look for, how to approach this conversation with a young person and what to do in an emergency, visit advice for parents and others page.
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RESET and seven pharmacies (including Ambrose King Centre for Chemsex packs only) offer a free, confidential and anonymous needle exchange programme. This helps reduce the spread of Blood Borne Viruses and sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
This includes access to sterile equipment for people who use drugs and a safe disposal service. This includes Naloxone (an emergency medication that can reverse the effects of an overdose of opioids such as heroin or methadone).
All sites provide a non-judgmental harm reduction and advice service, alternatives to injecting and links to treatment services.
For more information and advice, visit needle exchange and harm reduction page.
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There are many hazards associated with used needles and syringes. The council has a specialist removal service to safely remove and dispose of these items.
For more information or to report a specialist removal service, visit needles and syringes page.
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RESET Outreach and Referral Service are based at Providence Row, Dellow Centre, E1 7SA. They offer a non-judgmental, one-to-one harm reduction support service for residents using
- drugs
- alcohol
- steroids and hormone replacement therapy.
They also provide:
- community and street outreach work
- have an onsite Needle Exchange Service
- a safe place for homeless people to access housing support, hot meals, shower and other resources
- a route into RESET Treatment, Recovery Support and GPs, alongside other services.
Email or call 0800 802 1860 to make a referral, or to get more information on accessing sterile injecting equipment, naloxone and the safe disposal of needles.
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The Specialist Substance Misuse Midwife is based at the Royal London Hospital. She supports vulnerable women during and after their pregnancy. Helping them improve their health and the welfare and life chances of their unborn babies. This includes
- regular antenatal clinics at the hospital
- antenatal and postnatal home visits
- harm reduction advice about sexual health and drug use
- testing for blood borne viruses
- encouraging women to engage with specialist maternity and RESET services.
Pregnant women can self-refer to Barts maternity services or a GP can make a referral for them. Any health professional can also request and complete a Gateway referral form.
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Nitrous oxide (also known as laughing gas) is a serious concern for residents, the council, police and housing associations. It can be intimidating for residents to see groups of people taking it and the antisocial behaviour associated with it, including the noise nuisance and small metal canisters that are littering the borough.
For more information on the council’s response to Nitrous Oxide use and how to report nitrous oxide ASB and litter, visit the Nitrous oxide - No laughing matter page.