Alcohol and Drugs in the UK

Alcohol

  • MORI poll found that 78% of people worried about alcohol related problems
  • Cabinet's office reported that Alcohol fuelled:
    • 1 million fights per year
    • 19,000 sexual assaults
    • 360,000 cases of domestic violence
  • 1 in 25 people in the UK are dependant on alcohol
  • 15% of drink drive convictions are "morning after"
  • A survey by Alcohol Concern and the TUC suggests that one in four accidents are caused and around 40 million working hours lost through alcohol misuse
  • A research document published by the Health Education Authority showed that 90% of the Personnel Directors of large UK organizations surveyed considered that alcohol consumption was a problem for their organization

Binge Drinking

  • Binge drinking is defined as drinking 8 or more units (for men) and 6 or more units (for women) in any one session
  • To avoid health risks associated with the drug Alcohol, the Dept. of Health defines moderate drinking as 2-3 units per day (for women) and 3-4 units per day (for men)
  • In 2003 - binge drinking accounted for 40% of all drinking among men and 22% by women in the UK - these figures are rising
  • In 2003 - 5.9 million people drank more than twice the recommended daily guidelines on some occasion - these figures are also rising
  • Extreme binge drinking seems to be socially accepted behaviour

Drugs

  • The UK now officially has the worst drug problem in Europe
  • We have more teenage cannabis users than Holland
  • There are over 4 million cannabis users in the UK and rising
  • The government have now reclassified cannabis to a class B drug due to recent scientific proof that cannabis causes far reaching mental and physical health problems
  • The average age of first drug use is 13
  • The incidence of drug use in young people has doubled since the 1990's
  • 49% of 17-19 year olds admitted to using illegal drugs
  • Over 2 million "E's" are taken every week in the UK alone
  • The "ecstasy" generation are now our employees
  • The role of the traditional "drug pusher" has changed to that of a "dealer" - demand outweighs supply
  • There are now "dial-a-gram" cocaine telephone delivery services freely available in most of the UK's largest cities
  • Drugs (including a mass of "legal highs") are now bought/sold over the internet
  • A line of cocaine is cheaper than a cup of espresso and is commonly used in a similar way to caffeine Cocaine use - now an accepted middle class culture?
  • The average heroin addict spends £24,000 pa feeding their habit
  • The drug addict profile has drastically changed
  • There are 40,000 registered heroin addicts in the UK, but up to as many as 240,000 regular users
  • The UK is now the heroin capital of Europe
  • 25% of registered drug addicts are in full time employment
  • The IPD's recent findings indicate that up to 21% of the workforce may be using drugs
  • 1 in 50 people in the UK are addicted to drugs
  • Of the illicit drug users interviewed by the IPD, aged 18 or older in 2002, 74.6 percent were employed either full or part time
  • Non/Prescription Drugs (Pain killers / Analgesics; Cough medicines and formulas; Sleeping tablets; Anti-depressants; Anti-inflammatory / Muscle relaxants; Heroin "substitutes" [Methadone, Subutex etc]) are also regularly abused in the UK and can seriously effect performance
  • With the ever increasing prevalence and popularity of "legal highs" more and more people are putting their health and safety (and that of others) at risk. These legal highs are cheap, easy to get hold of (bought and sold legally) - yet they often carry health risks greater than some illegal drugs. More and more people are trying these substances due to their "legal" status. Most will come with a disclaimer/warning - "Not for Human Consumption". Legal does not mean safe.
DOs and DON'Ts Leaflet