This page contains a listing of national drug treatment guidelines in Europe. The title, the methodological basis and the types of treatment covered by each guideline are provided, along with a download link where available. The guidelines were collected in three phases in 2008, 2009, and 2010. See background information below for more details.
| Country | Name of the guideline in English — if available — and year of publishing | Language and download link (if available) | Interventions covered | Basis of the guideline (where known) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 1. Maintenance treatment of opiate addicts with buprenorphine (2005) | Download document (Flemish, PDF) | 2 | Evidence based | |
| 2. Guidelines for the treatment of opiate addiction (2000) | Download document (French, PDF) | 2, 3 | Evidence and expert consensus | ||
| 3. Guidelines for the prescription of benzodiazepines to illegal drug users (2008) | Download document (Flemish, PDF) | ||||
| Bulgaria | 1. Consensus regarding good practice in addiction treatment - (2002) | Bulgarian | 3 | Expert consensus and evidence | |
| 2. Consensus regarding good practice in rehabilitation of addictions (2005) | English | 1 | |||
| 3. Guidelines for good practice in psychosocial rehabilitation of addictions | Bulgarian | 1, 4 | |||
| 4. Guidelines for good practice in substitution treatment - (2008) | Bulgarian | 2 | |||
| Czech Republic | 1. General Standard and specialized standards (2003) | Download documents (Czech and English, Word) | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 | Expert consensus and evidence | |
| 2. General Standard and specialized standards for out-patient treatment (2003) | Download document (Czech, Word) | 1, 5 | |||
| 3. General Standard and specialized standards for in-patient treatment (2003) | Download document (Czech, Word) | 1, 4, 5 | |||
| 4. General Standard and specialized standards for lowthreshold facilities and treatment facilities (2003) | Download document (Czech, Word) | 1, 5 | |||
| 5. General Standard and specialized standards for detoxification (2003) | Download document (Czech, Word) | 3 | |||
| 6. General Standard and specialized standards for substitution treatment | Download document (Czech, Word) | 2 | |||
| 7. Standards for substitution treatment (2008) | Download document (Czech, Word) | 2 | |||
| 8. General Standard and specialized standards for aftercare and treatment facilities (2003) | Download document (Czech, Word) | 1, 4, 5 | |||
| 9. Standards for Drug Services in Prison provided by external subjects (applied since 2004) | Download document (Czech, Word) | 1, 4, 5 | |||
| Denmark | 1. Guidance no. 42 on medical treatment of drug abusers in substitution treatment for opioid dependence (2008) | Danish, English (download, PDF) | 1, 2, 3, 5 | Expert consensus and evidence based | |
| 2. Prescription of injectable diacetylmorphine (heroin) in case of opioid dependence; Rules of guidance no. 9240, May 11th 2009 | Danish, English (download, PDF) | 1 | |||
| Estonia | 1. Guidelines for the Treatment of Drug Addiction (2001) | Download document (Estonian, PDF) | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 | Expert consensus | |
| Germany | 1. Acute treatment of opiate use disorders (2003) | Download document (German, PDF) | 1, 3 | Expert consensus and evidence | |
| 2. Postacute treatment of opiate abuse and dependence (2004) | Download document (German, PDF) | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 | |||
| 3. Treatment for cannabis use disorders (2004) | Download document (German, PDF) | 3 | |||
| 4. Treatment of disorders related to cocaine, amphetamines, ecstasy and hallucinogens (2004) | Download document (German, PDF) | 2, 3, 5 | |||
| 5. Standards for substitution treatment of opiate addicts (2002) | Download document (German, PDF) | 2 | |||
| 6. Guidelines for opioid substitution treatment (2010) | Download document (German, PDF) | 2 | |||
| Ireland | 1. Review of the Methadone Treatment Protocol (2005 and 2010) | Download documents - 2005 and 2010 (English, PDF) | 2, 3 | Expert consensus | |
| 2. Working with opiate users in community-based primary care (2003) | Download document (English, PDF) | 2 | Expert consensus and evidence based | ||
| 3. Keeping drugs out of prisons: drug policy and strategy (2008) | Download document (English, PDF) | ||||
| 4. Benzodiazepines: good practice guidelines for clinicians (2002) | Download document (English, PDF) | ||||
| 5. National Drugs Rehabilitation Framework Document (2010) | Download document (English, PDF) | ||||
| 6. Community detoxification protocols: Methadone (2011) | Download document (English, PDF) | ||||
| Greece | No information available. | ||||
| Spain | Manual de buena pratica para la atencion a drogodependientes en los centros de emergencia (2003) | Download document (Spanish, PDF) | |||
| Intervención sobre Drogas en Centros Penitenciarios (2006) | Download document (Spanish, PDF) | 2, 3, 4 | |||
| Guia clinica de intervencion psicologica en addiciones (2008) | Download document (Spanish, PDF) | 1 | |||
| Guía para el tratamiento de la dependencia de opiáceos (2007) | Download document (Spanish, PDF) | 2 | |||
| France | 1. Modalités de sevrage chez les toxicomanes dépendant des opiacés Conférence de consensus des 23 et 24 avril 1998 - Texte long des recommandations | Download document (French, PDF) | 3 | ||
| 2. Conférence de consensus Stratégies thérapeutiques pour les personnes dépendantes des opiacés: place des traitements de substitution 23 et 24 juin 2004 Texte des recommandations | Download document (French, PDF) | 1 | |||
| 3. Initiation et suivi du traitement substitutif de la pharmacodépendance majeure aux opiacés par buprénorphine haut dosage (2011) | Download document (French, PDF) | ||||
| 4. Les pratiques professionnelles concernant les traitements de substitution aux opiacés (T.S.O.) dans les CSAPA (2010) | Download document (French, PDF) | ||||
| 5. Strategies of care for cocaine users (2010) | Download documents (1 -2, French, PDF) | ||||
| 6. Reducing the misuse of opiate substitution medication (2004) | Download document (French, PDF) | ||||
| 7. Abuse, addiction and polydruguse: strategies of care (2007) | Download document (French, PDF) | ||||
| Italy | No guidelines exist so far. | ||||
| Cyprus | 1. Treatment guidelines (2010) | Download document (Greek, PDF) | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 | ||
| Latvia | 1. Clinical guidelines for psychosocially assisted pharmacological treatment with methadone and buprenorphine of persons dependent on opioids (2009) | Latvian | 2 | Expert consensus and evidence | |
| 2. Clinical guidelines for drug and alcohol addiction treatment (2005) | Download document (Latvian, PDF) | 1, 2, 3, 5 | |||
| 3. Guidelines for the Treatment of Misuse and Dependence on Sedative Medications | Latvian | ||||
| Lithuania | 1. Early diagnostic and treatment for children who are using drug, psychotropic and another psychoactive substances in primary health care institutions (2009) | Download document (Lithuanian, PDF) | 1, 5 | Expert consensus and evidence based | |
| 2. Addictive disorders treatment with antagonist naltrexone (for opioid users) (2008) | Download document (Lithuanian, PDF) | 1, 2, 5 | Evidence based | ||
| 3. Addictive disorders treatment for opioid users with Methadone (2009) | Download document (Lithuanian, PDF) | 1 | |||
| 4. Addictive disorders treatment for opioid users with buprenorphine and buprenorphine/naltrexone (2009) | Download document (Lithuanian, PDF) | 1 | |||
| Luxembourg | 1. Guidelines of good practice in substitution treatment (1998) | Download document (French, PDF) | 2 | Expert consensus | |
| 2. Decree of the 30 January 2002 determining the modalities of treatment of addicts with substitution | Download document (French, PDF) | 2 | |||
| Hungary | 1. Professional guideline for community care for addicts (2008) | Download document (Hungarian, PDF) | 1, 4, 5 | Expert consensus | |
| 2. Professional guideline for low threshold services in the scope of the basic social care for addicts (2006) | Download document (Hungarian, PDF) | 1, 5 | |||
| 3. Professional protocol for addicts' day care centres in the scope of basic social care (2006) | Download document (Hungarian, Word) | 5 | |||
| 4. The methodological letter of the Ministry of Health on methadone treatment (2008) | Download document (Hungarian, PDF) | 2, 3 | Evidence based | ||
| 5. Professional treatment protocol of the Ministry of Health for opiate use related problems (2008) | Download document (Hungarian, PDF) | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 | |||
| 6. Professional treatment protocol of the Ministry of Health for amphetamine use related problems (2008) | Download document (Hungarian, PDF) | 1, 4, 5 | |||
| 7. Professional treatment protocol of the Ministry of Health for cannabis use related problems (2008) | Download document (Hungarian, PDF) | 1, 4, 5 | |||
| Malta | No information available. | ||||
| The Netherlands | 1. Guideline for outpatient and inpatient detoxification (2004) | Download document (Dutch, PDF) | 3 | Expert consensus and evidence | |
| 2. Guideline for the treatment of opiate addicts (RIOB -2006) | Download document (Dutch, PDF) | 2 | |||
| 3. Richtlijn Medicamenteuze Zorg aan Gedetineerde Verslaafden (2008) | Download document (Dutch, PDF) | 2, 3 | |||
| Austria | 1. Guideline for drug facilities which are registered and financed according to the Narcotic Act (2004) | Download document (German, PDF) | 1, 3 | Expert consensus | |
| 2. Decree for new regulations on substitution treatment (2007) | Download document (German, PDF) | 2 | Political consensus | ||
| 3. Amendment to the decree for new regulations on substitution treatment (2009) | Download document (German, PDF) | 2 | Political consensus | ||
| Note: These documents are not consistent with an international definition or understanding of 'national treatment guidelines' but they are included here because they define some organisational as well as treatment-related issues on a national level in Austria. | |||||
| Poland | 1. Standards for pharmacological treatment (M. Jaremy: "Standardy farmakoterapii zaburzeń psychicznych", Via Medica, Gdańsk 2011, all copy rights reserved) | Download document (Polish, PDF) | 1, 5 | ||
| Portugal | 1. Circuito do Utente Ambulatório (2008) | Download document (Portuguese, Word) | 1, 5 | Expert consensus and evidence based | |
| 2. Regulations for inpatient treatment in private institutions and their governmental financial support (2008) | Download document (Portuguese, PDF) | 1, 4, 5 | Expert consensus | ||
| 3. Normas Orientadoras dos Programas Terapeuticos com Agonistas Opiaceos em Portugal (2006) | Download document (Portuguese, Word) | 2 | Expert consensus and evidence | ||
| 4. Manual de orientações tecnicas para a implementação de programas de substituição opiacea de baixo limiar de exigencia (not yet published) | Portuguese | 2 | |||
| 5. Manual de Boas Praticas em Reinsercao (2007) | Download document (Portuguese, Word) | 4, 5 | |||
| 6. Colaboracao entre IDT e Instituto de Seguranca Social e a Santa Casa da Misericordia (2007) | Download document (Portuguese, Word) | 4, 5 | |||
| Romania | No guidelines exist so far. | ||||
| Slovenia | 1. Social work in the field of addiction (1995) | English, Slovenian | 1, 4 | Expert consensus | |
| Slovakia | 1.Professional regulation of standards for diagnostic and treatment in the drug dependence specialisation (2003) | Download document (Slovakian, PDF) | |||
| 2. Methodical instruction on the provision of MMT maintenance treatment for patients with dependece on opiates and with chronic course of the disease (2004) | Download document (Slovakian, PDF) | ||||
| Finland | 1. Treatment of Substance Abusers (2006) | Download document (English, PDF) | |||
| Sweden | 1. Nationella riktlinjer for missbruks- och beroendevård (2007) | Download document (Swedish, PDF) | 1, 5 | Evidence | |
| 2. Läkemedelsassisterad behandling av heroinmissbrukare (2004) | Download document (Swedish, PDF) | 3 | |||
| 3. Läkemedelsassisterad underhållsbehandling vid opiatberoende (2009) | Download document (Swedish, PDF) | 2 | |||
| United Kingdom | 1. Drug misuse and dependence: UK guidelines on clinical management (2007) | Download document (English, PDF) | 1, 2, 3, 5 | Expert consensus and evidence | |
| 2. Drug misuse: Psychosocial interventions (2007) | Download document (English, PDF) | 1 | |||
| 3. Naltrexone for the management of opioid dependence (2007) | Download document (English, PDF) | 3 | |||
| 4. Drug Misuse: Opioid detoxification (2007) | Download document (English, PDF) | 3 | |||
| 5. Methadone and buprenorphine for the management of opioid dependence (2007) | Download document (English, PDF) | 2 | |||
| 6. Models of care for treatment of adult drug misusers: update (2006) | Download document (English, PDF) | 4 | |||
| 7. Models of residential rehabilitation for drug and alcohol misusers (2006) | Download document (English, PDF) | 4 | |||
| 8. Young people's substance misuse treatment services, essential elements (2007) | Download document (English, PDF) | 1 | |||
| 9. Planning, commissioning and delivering the training and employment pathway for problem drug users (2009) | Download document (English, PDF) | 1, 4, 5 | Expert consensus | ||
| 10. Non-medical prescribing, patient group directions and minor ailment schemes in the treatment of drug misusers (2007) | Download document (English, PDF) | 4 | |||
| 11. Renewed guidance for treating heroin addicts in prison (2010) | Download document (English, PDF) | 2 | |||
| 12. Guidance and training protocol for the development of the introduction of take home Naloxone (Wales) (2010) | Download document (English, PDF) | ||||
| 13. Treatment of offenders (Wales) (2009) | Download document (English, PDF) | 5 | |||
| 14. Guidance for the pharmacological management of substance misuse among young people in secure environment (2009) | Download document (English, PDF) | 1, 2, 5 | |||
| 15. Towards successful treatment completion - a good practice guide (2009) | Download document (English, PDF) | 2, 5 | |||
| 16. NTA Policy on involvement of users and family members (2008) | Download document (English, PDF) | 4 | |||
| 17. Supporting and involving carers (2008) | Download document (English, PDF) | 4 | |||
| 18. Guidance for the planning and provisions of substance misuse services to children and young people in the care of youth offending services (2009) | Download document (English, PDF) | ||||
| 19. Substance Misuse Service and System Improvement - National Core Standards for Substance Misuse Services in Wales (2009) | Download document (English, PDF) | ||||
| 20. Prisons Integrated Drug Treatment System: Continuity of Care Guidance (2009) | Download document (English, PDF) | ||||
| 21. Undertaking needs assessment: drug treatment. Recovery and reintegration in the community and prisons (2009) | Download document (English, PDF) | ||||
| 22. Clinical governance in drug treatment: a good practice guide for providers and commissioners (2009) | Download document (English, PDF) | ||||
| 23. Residential drug treatment service: a summary of good practice (2009) | Download document (English, PDF) | ||||
| 24. Residential drug treatment services: good practices in the field (2009) | Download document (English, PDF) | ||||
| 25. Commissioning for recovery Drug treatment, reintegration and recovery in the community and prisons: a guide for drug partnerships (2010) | Download document (English, PDF) | ||||
| 26. Routes to Recovery: Psychosocial interventions for drug misuse. A framework and toolkit for implementing NICE-recommended treatment interventions (2010) | Download document (English, PDF) | ||||
| 27. Substance Misuse Detainees in Police Custody Guidelines for Clinical Management | Download document (English, PDF) |
| |||
| 28. Safer Prescribing in Prisons Guidance for clinicians | Download document (English, PDF) | ||||
| 29. Hepatitis B and C: ways to promote and offer testing to people at increased risk of infection | Download document (English, PDF) | ||||
| 30. Delivering quality care for drug and alcohol users: the roles and competencies of doctors | Download document (English, PDF) | ||||
| Note: The downloadable documents include some of the most recent (2006 - November 2011) clinical treatment guidelines. A number of national framework service-oriented guidelines have been developed in the UK and they are available at the NTA website. | |||||
| Croatia | 1. Guidelines for the use of Methadone in the substitution therapy of opiate drug users (2006) | Download document (Croatian, PDF) | 2 | ||
| 2. Guidelines for the use of Buprenorphine in the substitution therapy of opiate drug users (2006) | Download document (Croatian, PDF) | 2 | |||
| 3. Standards for Therapeutic Communities (2009) | Download documents (1 - 2 , Croatian, PDF) | ||||
| Turkey | No information available. | ||||
| Norway | 1. Guidelines on opioid substitution treatment (2009) | Download document (Norwegian, PDF) | 1 | ||
| International | 1. Guidelines for the psychosocially assisted pharmacological treatment of opioid dependence (WHO, 2009) | Download the document (English, PDF) | 2 | Expert consensus and evidence | |
| 2. Practice guidelines for opioid substitution treatment in New Zealand (Ministry of Health, 2008) | Download the document (English, PDF) | ||||
| 3. National pharmacotherapy policy for people dependent on opioids (Intergovernmental Committee on Drugs, Australia, 2007) | Download the document (English, PDF) | ||||
| 4. Practice Guidelines for the treatment of patients with substance use disorders (American Psychiatric Association, 2006) | Download the document (English, PDF) | ||||
| 5. Service Standards for Addiction Therapeutic Communities (Community of Addiction Therapeutic Communities, 2006) | Download the document (English, PDF) | ||||
| 6.UNODC, Community based treatment (2008) | Download the document (English, PDF) | ||||
| 7.UNODC, Interventions for drug users in prison (2008) | Download the document (English, PDF) | ||||
| 8.UNODC, Sustained recovery management (2008) | Download the document (English, PDF) | ||||
Legend for interventions covered
- 1 : Psychosocial interventions
- 2 : Opioid substitution/maintenance treatment
- 3 : Detoxification
- 4 : Social reintegration
- 5 : Responses to alcohol and drug (in general)
Background information
The guidelines were collected in three phases in 2008, 2009, and 2010.
2008: A structured questionnaire filled in by the Reitox national focal points, was used to identify 72 treatment guidelines which had been developed in the 27 reporting countries.
2009: A consultant study (Executive summary) involving 29 European countries (27 European Member States, Norway and Turkey) obtained a further 17 guidelines which were then checked for double counting:
2010: A further 10 guidelines were obtained during a 'Reitox academy meeting' organised to draft a selected issue on national treatment guidelines, during which 28 Countries participated (including, for the first time, Bosnia Herzegovina, Albania, Montenegro).
2011: The National Reports 2010 of the 30 European countries contained a devoted chapter on the description of National Treatment Guidelines and a compilation of these chapters is available here. Furthermore, in November 2011 the EMCDDA Selected Issue "Guidelines for the treatment of drug dependence: a European perspective" has been published.
