Substance misuse: statistics

16.6% of adults in England report drinking to hazardous levels, while 1.2% report levels which indicate probable alcohol dependence.1

3.1% of adults in England show signs of drug dependence, and men (4.3%) are more likely to be dependent on illegal drugs than women (1.9%).2

Half of the people with drug dependence received mental health treatment in 2014, and adults with drug dependence are twice as likely as the general population to use psychological therapy.3

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A-Z Topics

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Drugs and mental health
People holding drugs

References

  1. Drummond, C., McBride, O., Fear, N., & Fuller, E. (2016). Chapter 10: Alcohol dependence. In S. McManus, P. Bebbington, R. Jenkins, & T. Brugha (Eds.), Mental health and wellbeing in England: Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2014. Leeds: NHS Digital.
  2. Roberts, C., Lepps, H., Strang, J., & Singleton, N. (2016). Chapter 11: Drug use and dependence. In S. McManus, P. Bebbington, R. Jenkins, & T. Brugha (Eds.), Mental health and wellbeing in England: Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2014. Leeds: NHS Digital.
  3. Ibid.