However, it does not provide as good coverage of problematic drug use, as many such users may not be a part of the household resident population covered by the survey. While CSEW estimates are based on a large sample of the population, it should be recognised that levels of drug use are relatively low. While figures and comparisons published in the release are considered to be robust, changes need to be interpreted with care and consideration. Drug misuse data included in this release are sourced from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW). The User guide to crime statistics for England and Wales provides detailed information about the crime survey.
2 Substance use, sex and age of people in treatment
The next most frequently reported substances were benzodiazepines with 6% and amphetamines (excluding ecstasy) with 3%. A more detailed breakdown of reported substances can be found in the data tables. Psychoactive substances (mainly synthetic cannabinoids, previously recorded as ‘new psychoactive substances’) were a problem for 6% of people in treatment in secure settings. This is because data is collected when people enter treatment, so does not include people who started using psychoactive substances while they were in prison. There were 49,881 adults aged 18 and over substance abuse in older adults in alcohol and drug treatment in prisons and secure settings between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024.
Mental health needs
Alcohol use is a significant cause of premature death in England, as the ONS alcohol-specific deaths data shows. Of the people starting treatment, 98% did so within 3 weeks of being referred to treatment. But there was a big difference between substance groups, with 25% of opiate referrals coming from the criminal justice system compared to just 7% for those with only alcohol problems. There were 290,635 people in contact with drug and alcohol services between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2023.
Download this chart Figure 5: Levels of drug use were higher in those who more frequently visited nightclubs
Around three-quarters (35,809, 77%) of these people started treatment during this year, an increase of 6 percentage points since 2020 to 2021 (71%). The report shows an estimated 400 million people lived with alcohol use disorders globally. Altogether, people with opiate problems reported a fall in the average number of days they used opiates, from 22.4 days in the last 28 days at the start of treatment to 8.9 days after 6 months of treatment. There was a 5% reduction since the previous year in the number of people starting treatment saying they had a problem with NPS, from 1,363 to 1,291.
Download this chart Figure 5: Opiates or opioids continued to be the most-frequently mentioned drug type
Alcohol and drug treatment statistics reports for previous years can be found in the OHID Alcohol and drug misuse and treatment statistics collection. The NDTMS collects data from about 600 sites providing structured alcohol and drug treatment interventions, covering every local authority in England. The number of people entering treatment for both crack and opiates dropped by 15% this year, and it is now at 21,308, which is the lowest number since 2015 to 2016. For people with opiate problems who were injecting at the start of treatment, the average number of days of injecting dropped from 20.9 days per month at the start of treatment to 6.1 days per month at the 6 month review.
Figure 2: Class A drug use has decreased among those aged 16 to 24 years compared with year ending March 2015
- This user guide contains detailed information on the datasets used to compile crime statistics published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
- An unknown proportion of respondents may not report their behaviour honestly and the CSEW is likely to underestimate drug misuse.
- Thirteen per cent of people starting treatment who were parents had a child with a child protection plan, and this figure was highest in the non-opiate group, at 19%.
In the non-opiate only and non-opiate and alcohol groups, 5% and 6% said they had previously injected, respectively. This is much higher for people with opiate problems, with 20% currently injecting and 32% having previously injected. ONS data on deaths related to drug poisoning by date of occurrence in England and Wales shows that rates of drug misuse deaths continue to be higher among people born in the 1970s, with the highest rate in those aged 40 to 49. Among men, there were 107.8 drug poisoning deaths which occurred per million in 2022 (2,902 registered deaths), compared with 51.3 deaths per million among women (1,455 deaths). Compared to 2022 to 2023, this is a 3% decrease in the number of deaths (from 4,166) and is a 0.14 percentage point decrease in the proportion of people in treatment dying (from 1.4%). Sixteen per cent of all people starting treatment were currently injecting or had previously injected drugs.
Map of England divided by each local authority’s rate of opiate and crack use estimates in 2016 to 2017. You can find more information about this in the Home Office’s Crime Survey for England and Wales. Despite the high levels of smoking, only 3% of people were recorded as having been offered referrals for smoking cessation interventions. This is the fifth year in a row that the numbers of people entering treatment for crack have risen. The number of those fell by 1% since the previous year (from 75,555 to 74,618) and follows a large year-on-year decline from a peak of 91,651 in 2013 to 2014.
The largest group for adults aged 18 to 29 was non-opiates, and the largest group for those aged 60 and over alcoholism treatment was alcohol only. Nearly two-fifths (38%) of those were discharged after completing their treatment free of dependence, a 16 percentage point rise from 22% in 2015 to 2016, when reporting began. 137,749 adults enter treatment for substance misuse in England in a year, and other recent statistics and facts about drug use and abuse.
Adult substance misuse treatment statistics 2023 to 2024: report
These represented no statistically significant changes compared with YE March 2024. However, levels were lower for those aged 16 to 24 years compared with YE March 2015 (16.4%). Alcohol and drug treatment statistics reports for previous years can be found in the Office of Health Improvement and Disparities’ (OHID) Alcohol and drug misuse and treatment statistics collection. For people with opiate problems who were injecting at the start of treatment, the average number of days of injecting dropped from 19.5 days per month at the start of treatment to 7.4 days per month at the 6-month review.
Analysis of the impact on the “any drug” measure and its trend over time showed that the removal of glue had no overall important impact. Amyl nitrite was included in the yearly any drug measure until year ending March 2017. It was removed in year ending March 2018 as the question on last year use of amyl nitrite was removed from the survey.