Treatment Centre in Sherborne, Dorset - Appointments available 7 days a week - 9.30am to 9.30pm
Telephone: 0800 231 57 46 - ALL ENQUIRIES STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL
Cost To Society
North Wales Community Safety & Substance Misuse -
Substance Misuse Action Team (SMAT)
Clinical Study/Evaluation
The cost to society of Drugs and Alcohol is £36.4bn per annum.
Alcohol & Drugs Prevention, Treatment and Recovery: Why Invest?
Source: Public Health England
Some Alcohol Facts
9 million adults drink at levels that increase the risk of harm to their health, 1.6 million adults show some signs of alcohol dependence. Alcohol is the third biggest risk factor for illness and death. 21,485 people died from alcohol-related causes in 2012. Almost half of violent assaults related to alcohol. Domestic violence and marital breakdown. 27% of serious case reviews mention alcohol misuse. Physical, psychological and behavioural problems for children of parents with alcohol problems.
The annual cost of alcohol-related harm:
Total cost to society: £21bn
Crime in England: £11bn
Lost productivity in UK: £7bn
NHS in England: £3.5bn
Some Drug Facts
2.7 million adults used an illegal drug in the past year. 294,000 heroin and crack users in England. 40% of prisoners have used heroin. 1,200,000 affected by drug addiction in their families – mostly in poor communities. Deaths among heroin users are 10 times the death rate in the general population. Parental drug use is a risk factor in 29% of all serious case reviews. Heroin and crack addiction causes crime and disrupts community safety. A typical heroin user spends around £1,400 per month on drugs (2.5 times the average mortgage). The public value drug treatment because it makes their communities safer and reduces crime. 82% said treatment’s greatest benefit was improved community safety.
The annual cost of drug addiction:
The annual cost of drug addiction £15.4bn.
Any heroin or crack user not in treatment commits crime costing an average £26,074 a year.
Every year drug misuse costs the NHS in England £488m.
Annual cost of looking after drug using parents’ children who have been taken into care is £42.5m.
Support for Sustained Recovery: Everyone should have access to support that promotes and sustains their recovery.
Intervening early works and saves money: Young people’s drug and alcohol interventions result in £4.3m health savings and £100m crime savings per year. Drug and alcohol interventions can help young people get into education, employment and training, bringing a total lifetime benefit of up to £159m. Every £1 spent on young people’s drug and alcohol interventions brings a benefit of £5-£8.
Every £1 spent on drug treatment saves £2.50 in costs to society. Drug treatment prevents an estimated 4.9m crimes every year. Treatment saves an estimated £960m costs to the public, businesses, criminal justice and the NHS.
The Department of Health state: “Doctors can use their clinical judgment to prescribe any treatment that will benefit their patient, even if it is outside its licensed indication and that an absence of NICE guidance is not an acceptable reason to refuse funding treatment'.