COCAINE addicts and alcoholics can now turn to the web for advice.

Two self-help sites have been launched with the aim of supporting drinkers and people dependent on the class A drug, as well as families who are worried about their loved ones.

The online service, run by Trafford’s Drug and Alcohol Action Team, provides information about how to tackle abuse especially for those who don’t normally turn to professional help.

Users can also take part in a 20-minute quiz to work out how dangerous their alcohol or cocaine consumption is and access a self-help programme online and in confidence.

Community safety councillor John Reilly says the sites could be the reality check some addicts need.

"Often people are very afraid and sometimes embarrassed to go and see someone in person about their drug or alcohol issues and these websites should help them to overcome these anxieties," he said.

"The websites are available to everyone who has access to the internet so anyone in Trafford, at any time of the day or night, can visit the appropriate site in confidence.

"They are designed to inform parents, carers, partners and those who may be drinking or using cocaine or both.

"They are there to help them – some people just don’t realise they have a problem and this is a way of taking a reality check.

"We just hope that this new project will help more people in Trafford who maybe don’t feel that the traditional drug and alcohol services are designed for them to seek help for their addiction."

The nationwide rise in cocaine abuse led the team to set up a specific website to tackle the problem – more than one in eight people in their 20s admitted to using cocaine in a recent British Crime Survey.

Equally, alcohol is a big problem, with nearly a third of men and a fifth of women in the UK admitting to drinking over the sensible drinking guidelines in a typical week.

Trafford Primary Care Trust advises the drug and alcohol team on how to tackle such issues and say the sites will be of use to the public.

Dr Lisa Davies, the PCT’s consultant in public health medicine, said: "Alcohol is a key public health issue in Trafford.

"By reducing use of alcohol to safe levels, it will have a major impact on the health and wellbeing of our local population."

The websites can be found at www.trafford.knowcocaine.co.uk or ww.trafford.knowalcohol.co.uk. The council also runs a drug and alcohol helpline which can be reached on 0800 056 3030.

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