1800 459 459  or drugshiv@hse.ie

This is a free and confidential, active listening helpline and email support service offering non-directive support, information, guidance and referral to anyone with a question or concern related to substance use or HIV and sexual health. The Helpline receives a diverse range of queries and provides an opportunity to explore a concern in confidence with onward referral when necessary.

What we do:
We aim to support callers to talk about their situation, explore their feelings and how things are impacting on them. We facilitate callers to identify their supports and help them explore the options that are available. We offer information and guidance, without telling the caller what to do. We have comprehensive information on almost 400 services nationwide.

Who calls?
We regularly receive calls/emails from people with a concern in relation to themselves, but also many contacts are from family, partners and friends. We are contacted by professionals working in a related discipline, seeking information on services for clients. The Helpline has received over 58,000 calls since its inception in July 1997.

Two helplines in one:

Drugs & Alcohol Helpline
Contact us with questions or concerns related to any mood altering substance, whether it is legal or illegal. We have information on the substances, their effects and the services that are available to deal with them. We also have the skills to offer you a space to reflect, explore and look at ways of coping with challenging issues.

HIV & Sexual health Helpline
Contact us with a question or concerns in relation to HIV or STI infection or testing. Also if you have had a positive diagnosis, feel free to contact us to talk about support options. Living with HIV? If you want support or information, please give us a call. 

Ways to contact us:

Helpline
Call us for free on 1800 459 459, from Mondays to Friday, between 10am and 5pm.

 Email
We have recently launched our Email Support Service. If you wish to use this service, just send an email to drugshiv@hse.ie . All replies are sent within 3 working days. Encrypted responses available on request.

 Facebook. Visit us on www.facebook.com using the name Drugs & HIV Helpline

The following documents are available to download on the right:

• 'Information on HIV' a booklet first produced in 2005, in response to regular queries received in relation to HIV.
• 'Best Practice Guidelines for Drug Helplines' a booklet produced in 2011, as part the FESAT Best Practice Exchange Partnership, a Leonardo Da Vinci Partnership Project, under the Lifelong Learning Programme, locally funded through Léargas