Guidance

Drug misuse and dependence: UK guidelines on clinical management

How clinicians should treat people with drug misuse and drug dependence problems.

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Details

Often called the Orange Book, this is guidance for clinicians treating people with drug problems.

This 2017 version offers new guidelines on:

  • prison-based treatment
  • new psychoactive substances and club drugs
  • mental health co-morbidity
  • misuse of prescribed and over-the-counter medicines
  • stopping smoking
  • preventing drug-related deaths, including naloxone provision

The new guidelines also have a stronger emphasis on recovery and a holistic approach to the interventions that can support recovery.

Published 14 July 2017
Last updated 15 December 2017 + show all updates
  1. Updated with latest version of guidelines.

  2. First published.