In an effort to help consumers wade through the sea of health information, the Health Sciences and Human Services Library (HS/HSL) is releasing its Substance Abuse Information Web Sites.The list was compiled by information specialists at the HS/HSL. We encourage you to look over the list and annotations, and then use the links to get to the sites.

Evaluating information found on the web is essential. The criteria used to choose the following sites may also be of use to you when evaluating any web site. However, you should consult with your physician regarding any health information obtained from the web.

Criteria:

1. Sponsorship. The sponsorship of the site should be easily identified and be a credible source such as a government agency (.gov), educational institution (.edu), organization (.org), medical center or hospital or selected commercial site (.com).
2. Currency. The site should be updated frequently with the date of the revision clearly posted.
3. Factual information. Information should be factual and verifiable. If the information represents an opinion, the source should be easily identified.
4. Audience. The intended audience should be evident.
5. Ease of Use. The site should be easy to navigate and be logically organized.

If you have any comments or suggestions, please send an email message to hshsl@umaryland.edu.

Finding a Treatment Facility

• Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Locator
  (http://findtreatment.samhsa.gov/facilitylocatordoc.htm)
  
  The Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a division of the U. S. Department of Health & Human Services, provides this web site for locating treatment facilities in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam. Information provided includes locations, phone numbers, URLs, information on type of care, nature of the program, payment types accepted and payment assistance.

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Self-Help Organizations

• Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)
  (http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org/)
  
  Founded in 1935, this organization is the oldest and most respected self-help organization in alcoholism recovery. Its recovery textbook, Alcoholics Anonymous, colloquially known as "The Big Book" explains its principles and program.
  
  
  • The Baltimore Intergroup Office of Alcoholics Anonymous (http://www.baltimoreaa.org/modules/xt_conteudo/index.php?id=5) has a 24-hour hotline phone number, and list of locations and times of meetings in the Baltimore metropolitan area.
  • The state intergroup site (http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org/US_CtrOffice/md.html) has a listing of the addresses and phone numbers of other Maryland area intergroups.
  • A national and worldwide directory (http://anonpress.org/phone/) of intergroup office addresses, phone numbers and websites is also available.
    
    
• Al-Anon and Alateen
  (http://www.al-anon.alateen.org/)
  
  These programs are designed to help the families and friends of alcoholics recover from the effects of living with the problem drinking of a relative or friend, and is adapted from the program of Alcoholics Anonymous.
  
  
• Narcotics Anonymous
  (http://www.na.org/)
  
  This program began in California in the late 1940s, using the Alcoholics Anonymous model for recovery for other drugs of abuse and addiction. There are links to:
  • Maryland area groups (http://www.na.org/links-main.htm#Maryland)
  • United States and the world (http://www.na.org/links-toc.htm).
    
    
• Nar-Anon Family Groups
  (http://www.naranon.com)
  
  This is a program designed to help the families and friends of drug addicts recover from the effects of living with the drug abuse of a relative or friend, and is adapted from the program of Alcoholics Anonymous.

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Federal Resources

• Prevline, Prevention Online, National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information
  (http://www.health.org/default.asp)
  
  The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is charged with "improving the quality and availability of prevention, treatment and rehabilitative services" for the purpose of reducing "illness, death, disability and the cost to society" caused by substance abuse or mental illness. Prevline is their primary information page.
  
  
• MEDLINEplus
  (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus)
  
  The National Library of Medicine's consumer health information site, MEDLINEplus has information pages that include research, news, treatment, and statistics on:
  • substance abuse (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/substanceabuse.html)
  • drug abuse (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/drugabuse.html)
  • alcoholism (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/alcoholism.html).
    
    
• National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
  (http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/)
  
  NIAAA is the primary National Institutes of Health agency for research on alcoholism. The site provides agency publications on alcoholism in both Spanish and English. It also includes current research, news and frequently asked questions on alcoholism.
  
  
• National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
  (http://www.nida.nih.gov/NIDAHome.html)
  
  NIDA is the primary National Institutes of Health organization for research on drug abuse. The NIDA site has information for parents, teachers and students as well as health professionals and researchers. It provides access to fact sheets, statistics, prevention, treatment, clinical trial research, news and contents of online meetings.
  
  
• White House Office of National Drug Control Policy
  (http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/)
  
  This site was established by the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988, and provides information about drugs of abuse-availability, statistics on usage, facts and figures, and national drug control strategy-in furthering its goals to "reduce illicit drug use, manufacturing, trafficking, and drug related crime and violence."
  

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Additional Resources

• CESAR, Center for Substance Abuse Research
  (http://www.cesar.umd.edu)
  
  Based at the University of Maryland in College Park, this research center of the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences has a mission is "to collect, analyze and disseminate information on the nature and extent of substance abuse," to conduct research on prevention and treatment, and to evaluate treatment and prevention programs. Its web site has a special section specifically for Maryland, including a list of Maryland street terms for drugs of abuse.
  
  
• Indiana Prevention Resource Center Infosite
  (http://www.drugs.indiana.edu/)
  
  This center is operated by the Department of Applied Health Science and the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation at the University of Indiana. While it acts primarily as a statewide clearinghouse for prevention information, it also has statistics, information and news on the national level.
  
  
• American Council for Drug Education
  (http://www.acde.org/)
  
  This organization is a substance abuse prevention and education agency for health professionals, parents, educators, youth and employers. Sections on their web site include: facts for parents; a physicians' guide; tips for teachers on discussing drug abuse in class and creating lesson plans; and assistance to employers for preventing substance abuse in the workplace.
  
  
• National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence
  (http://www.ncadd.org/)
  
  Founded in 1944, this organization "provides education, information, help and hope to the public" to overcome the "stigma and the disease of alcoholism and other drug addictions." Their web site contains fact sheets, news, program contents and publications, and a list of local affiliates.
  
  
• National Families in Action
  (http://www.emory.edu/NFIA/)
  
  Founded in 1977, this is a "national drug education, prevention, and policy center" based at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Its mission is "to help families and communities prevent drug abuse among children by promoting policies based on science. Their web site includes news, press releases, summaries of recent published research, and a frequently asked questions column.
  
  
• Substance Abuse Resource Center of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (http://www.rwjf.org/resourceCenter/substanceAbuse/www.rwjf.org)
  
  This site provides information and news about "the abuse of alcohol, tobacco and illegal drugs-the number one health problem in the United States-and efforts to prevent harm from their use." The Foundation, established in 1972, has as its goal "improving the health and health care of all Americans.

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