Where can I find an addiction counselling service for cannabis?

You can find an addiction counselling service for cannabis through nationwide directories, through your city or district authority and through the public health office. The quickest route is to search first for cannabis and your postcode, then call two or three services. This article shows you the routes that work well in practice and explains what to look for when choosing.

Using nationwide directories

The German Centre for Addiction Issues (DHS) runs an addiction help directory. There you search by postcode or town with a radius of 2 to 100 kilometres, and you can narrow the search, for example to services for relatives or for young people. Not every service mentions cannabis in its name, so read the service description before you rule one out.

The website of the Federal Government's Drug Commissioner also offers an overview of counselling services at federal level. These include the Sucht & Drogen Hotline (01806 313031, 20 cents per call) and the online counselling service DigiSucht. According to the Federal Drug Commissioner, the DHS facility database lists over 1,400 outpatient addiction counselling services nationwide. The advantage of such directories is that you see at a glance which services exist, so you do not have to search for each result separately.

City, district and public health office

A call to the public health office or the district administration can also lead you to a suitable service, because they often know which counselling services exist in the region. Ask on the phone for contact persons for addiction counselling.

If you live in Lower Saxony, you can also contact the Lower Saxony State Office for Addiction Issues (Niedersächsische Landesstelle für Suchtfragen, NLS). The NLS has a section on cannabis on its website. It is a point of orientation, and the concrete counselling is then found with the service on site.

What to have ready before the call

A short preliminary note helps you not to forget anything on the phone. Have your postcode ready, because many services work for defined areas. Consider whether you are calling for yourself or for someone else. Note whether you prefer an appointment on site, online or by telephone. Also write down two or three questions, for example about costs, waiting time and the process.

• Postcode or place of residence, so that responsibility is clear
• Whether you are affected yourself or asking on behalf of relatives
• A wish for an appointment on site, online or by telephone
• Your most important questions in brief notes

How to recognise a good service

A good counselling service explains on the phone which services it offers, who conducts the conversations and roughly how long the waiting time is. It answers questions about costs and data protection without putting you under pressure. If a service cannot or will not tell you any of this, it is worth looking at a second one. The article How do I recognise a reputable counselling service? explains how to spot trustworthy offers.

What to do if the waiting time is long?

Longer waiting times occur, especially in rural areas. Ask whether you can be put on a waiting list, whether the service can refer you to a partner or whether there is an online service that is available sooner. The article Online counselling or a local service compares digital and in-person counselling. If you notice during the wait that your use is getting worse, raise this with a service or with your GP.

There are dedicated services for relatives

If you are worried about someone who uses cannabis, you do not have to wait until the person affected calls. Many services advise relatives directly, even if the use is not your own. More on this is in the article Where can relatives find counselling about cannabis use?.

Prevention: calling early is worthwhile

Counselling does not have to wait for a crisis. If you call at the first signs, for example when use becomes more regular or when school, work or sleep suffer, you have more room to make changes. The risk of use varies from person to person. Young people in particular are more sensitive, because their brains are still developing. Counselling helps with this assessment, without you having to make a decision straight away. For the health questions around the young brain, read the article Does cannabis harm the young brain?

Next steps

1. Search the directory for cannabis and your postcode.
2. Call two services and ask about the process, costs and waiting time.
3. Arrange a first contact. You do not need to have set a goal yet for this.

The best way to prepare for the first contact is with the article How do I prepare for the first counselling conversation? The structure of the conversation itself is explained in the article on the first conversation in addiction counselling. You can find all topics on help and counselling under Help and counselling.