Opioid Users' Attitudes Towards and Use of NHS Clinics, General Practitioners and Private Doctors

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Abstract
Summary: The paper reports some of the findings of a study which investigated opioid users' views on and use of available treatment services in Britain. Samples were drawn from among addicts currently receiving a prescription from a National Health Service (NHS) clinic, a general practitioner and a private practitioner and addicts who were currently dependent solely on black‐market supplies. Addicts were interviewed using a combined structured and semi‐structured interview schedule. There was little evidence that users dependent on black‐market sources only had actively rejected available treatment services in the past. The majority of the black‐market users had approached at least one type of doctor in connection with their addiction. Most of the users currently receiving a prescription from a clinic or a general or private practitioner had at some time approached other types of doctor. The main reasons given for not approaching various types of doctor concerned a belief that such doctors were unavailable locally and an expectation that they were unwilling to prescribe opioids. Given a free choice, the majority of addicts said that they would prefer to attend a GP rather than a clinic or private practitioner.

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