THE WAAY is not a crisis service and does not replace medical care or counseling. The people and services below can help you right now. Reaching out is not weakness. It is the strongest move on the path.

In an emergency

Call 911 if you or someone near you is in immediate danger, has overdosed, is not breathing, or cannot be woken up.

If you are thinking about suicide or are in emotional crisis

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

• Call or text 988.
• Chat online at https://988lifeline.org/chat/
• Website: https://988lifeline.org/

You do not have to be suicidal to reach out. You can contact 988 if you are worried about yourself or about someone else.

Crisis Text Line

• Text HOME to 741741.
• Website: https://www.crisistextline.org/

If you need help with substance use or mental health treatment

SAMHSA National Helpline

• Call 1-800-662-4357 (1-800-662-HELP).
• Free and confidential, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
• Available in English and Spanish.
• Offers treatment referral and information for individuals and families facing mental health or substance use challenges.
• Website: https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/helplines/national-helpline

FindTreatment.gov

• A treatment finder from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to search for substance use and mental health treatment near you.
• Website: https://findtreatment.gov/

Recovery meetings

These are free mutual-support groups run by and for people in recovery. Many offer meetings in person, online, and by phone. Try more than one meeting before you decide whether a group fits you.

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)

• Find a meeting: https://www.aa.org/find-aa
• Meeting Guide app: https://www.aa.org/meeting-guide-app

Narcotics Anonymous (NA)

• Website and meeting search: https://na.org/

SMART Recovery

• Find a meeting: https://meetings.smartrecovery.org/meetings/
• Meeting information: https://smartrecovery.org/meeting

What to say when you call or text

You do not need the perfect words. Any of these is enough:

• "I'm having a hard time and I don't want to be alone with it."
• "I'm scared I'm going to use."
• "I don't know what kind of help I need."
• "I'm worried about someone I love."

Outside the United States

The numbers on this page are for the United States. If you are somewhere else, contact your local emergency number or search for your country's crisis line.

Sources

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, https://988lifeline.org/ (Get Help: https://988lifeline.org/get-help/; Chat: https://988lifeline.org/chat/). Checked October 2026.
• SAMHSA National Helpline, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/helplines/national-helpline. Checked October 2026.
• Crisis Text Line, https://www.crisistextline.org/ (Text Us: https://www.crisistextline.org/text-us/). Checked October 2026.
• FindTreatment.gov, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, https://findtreatment.gov/. Checked October 2026.
• Alcoholics Anonymous, https://www.aa.org/find-aa and https://www.aa.org/meeting-guide-app. Checked October 2026.
• Narcotics Anonymous World Services, https://na.org/. Checked October 2026.
• SMART Recovery, https://meetings.smartrecovery.org/meetings/ and https://smartrecovery.org/meeting. Checked October 2026.