Sunday 7 December 2014

10 things to know about the number of adults in drug and alcohol treatment in England in 2013-14

Here are 10 things I've found in looking at the data in Public Health England's reports on drug and alcohol treatment in England in 2013-14.
  1. There were 308,118 adults in treatment for drug (193,198) or alcohol (114,920) problems. Almost half (151,859) were starting new treatment journeys (70,930 for drugs and 80,929 for alcohol). 
  2. Amongst those accessing treatment the proportion addressing alcohol problems has increased from 32% in 2008-09 to 37% in 2013-14. 
  3. Across drug and alcohol treatment 71% were male and 84% identified themselves as White British. 
  4. 45% of those exiting treatment for drug problems did so free of dependency, 59% successfully completed alcohol treatment in 2013-14. 
  5. 53% of the estimated number of opiate and crack users (293,879) in England were accessing treatment in 2013-14. 
  6. 18% of the estimated number of dependent drinkers (630,000) in England were accessing treatment in 2013-14 - this compares to one in four in Scotland
  7. Just under half (45%) of those coming into treatment last year were over 40 years (67,952 individuals) - this was particularly true for alcohol where over 60% were over 40. 
  8. The number of people in the drug treatment system who are over 40 years old has doubled since 2005-06 - from 32,406 to 69,806. 
  9. The biggest source of referrals to the treatment system was by those seeking help themselves (43%), 12% of referrals were through GPs (however, the proportion for drug treatment was only 6.6% compared to 17% for alcohol). 
  10. Nearly 10,000 people entering drug and alcohol treatment last year had no fixed abode at the time they started treatment. A further 17,312 were having other significant housing problems (such as staying with friends or family as a short-term guest or residing at a short-term hostel). In total nearly one in five (18.7%) of new entrants were experiencing housing problems.
As always should you spot any errors in the way I've interpreted the data I'd be grateful if you let us know so that I can correct them.

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