Addiction Counseling: Websites and Google Searching

Portland-Specific Information

One of the best features of Google's search is the ability to limit your search to the areas of the web where the information is coming from, such as a government website or a university. The shortcut for this is to add site:edu or site:gov to your regular Google search.

For example, if you conduct an ordinary Google search for addiction counseling, most of your results will be commercial (.com) sites advertising treatment centers. While they may provide some useful information, they are also trying to sell their services, which is important to keep in mind. But If you search for addiction counseling site:gov , the top results will be government sites such as the National institutes of Health and SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administrations), which are authoritative, credible sources. 

Here are some other Tips on Using Google.

National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the US federal agency, National Institute on Health. For example:

• Drugs, Brains, and Behavior: The Science of Addiction . A comprehensive pamphlet put out the the NIDA.

• Trends and Statistics. Includes a variety of drug related issues, such as info on drug usage, emergency room data, prevention and treatment programs, and other research findings.