Why we made addiction a priority
Addiction can take many forms and someone with addictive tendencies can quite conceivably be reliant on more than one thing. Under the area of addiction, we tend to help those most in need from being dependent on drugs and alcohol.
The condition can have a devastating impact on a person’s life. For example, it can negatively impact their relationships and social life, emotions, health and finances. It can lead a previously law-abiding citizen to theft, or other reckless behaviour when intoxicated, such as drink-driving. It is also likely to make it harder to secure and keep a job.
It can affect the lives of their loved ones who are watching them go through something that they are powerless to ‘fix’.
Whether it’s a child, parent, partner, family member or friend, substance abuse can bring about tension and a lack of trust which affects them emotionally. It can cause depression which has physical implications, such as increasing the risk of heart disease. Addiction can make someone violent which is extremely difficult for those close to an addict. And children can suffer from PTSD.
The data
According to a compiled list of UK drug abuse statistics and facts by Priory:
- In the year ending March 2024, 8.8% of adults aged 16 to 59 years in England and Wales reported using any drug in the past year, equating to approximately 2.9 million individuals
- Among those aged 16 to 24 years, 16.5% reported using any drug in the past year, amounting to around 971,000 young adults
- In 2023, England and Wales recorded 5,448 drug-related deaths, marking an 11% increase from the previous year
- Cocaine-related deaths surged by 30% to 1,118 in 2023, approximately ten times higher than in 2011
- Opiate-related deaths, involving substances like heroin, accounted for almost half of the total drug-related deaths in 2023
- In 2021, the UK's drug-related death rate was 5.2 per 1,000
And according to government statistics on alcohol usage:
- In 2023, there were 8,274 alcohol-specific deaths in England, which was an increase of 63.8% from 5,050 deaths in 2006 and a 4.6% increase since 2022. This equates to a rate of 15.0 per 100,000 population in 2023. This was the highest rate for alcohol-specific mortality since the start of the data series in 2006 (10.7 per 100,000)
How we help in the area of addiction
Often, a person who is affected by addiction will also suffer with mental health issues and, in some cases, homelessness.
By tackling each of these three areas independently, we hope to help make a marked difference in the lives of individuals impacted by more than one of these issues.
We work with smaller charities to help get those in most need, who are suffering from addiction, into programmes that can help them in various ways.
To help us support charities working with those suffering with addiction, donate today using the button below:
