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Around 3.5 million people used drugs in the last year and 8.2 million people have an alcohol disorder. Alcohol and drug abuse costs the government around £38 billion each year.Substance misuse is a term which refers to alcohol and drug abuse - or the continual misuse of any mind altering substance. The most common problem of this kind is alcohol abuse but people also misuse drugs including heroin, crack, cannabis, cocaine.Social care professionals work with adults and young people who abuse drugs and alcohol - and who may have also have additional problems including mental health problems - and try and help them into drug abuse treatment or treatment to tackle alcohol misuse.Latest news on alcohol and drug abuse

Alcohol abuse

However in April 2004, alcohol services began to creep further onto the government’s agenda after analysis showed that alcohol abuse was costing £20 billion a year.

An Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy was produced with four key aims:

• To improve the information available to individuals and start a process of change in the culture of drinking to get drunk.
• To better identify and treat alcohol abuse.
• To prevent and tackle alcohol-related crime and disorder and deliver improved services to victims and witnesses.
• To work with the industry in tackling the harms caused by alcohol.

Progress on the strategy will be measured regularly against indicators and the government will take stock of how things are going in 2007.

All you need to know background information about alcohol services

Useful articles and jobs 

Drug abuse articles

Alcohol and drug abuse: - Facts and figures

* It is estimated that 20,000 adolescents become adult problem drug users every year

* There are 10,034 professionals working with people who abuse drugs

* For every £1 spent on drug abuse treatment, at least £9.50 is saved in crime and health costs.

* The number of individuals entering drug treatment programmes in 2004/05 was 89% higher than in 1998.

* Drug-related deaths in England have fallen to their lowest level since 1998: from 1,571 in 1999 to 1,388 in 2003.

* Average national waiting times for drug abuse treatment have fallen almost three-quarters since 2001 - from 9.1 weeks in December 2001, to 2.4 weeks in September 2005

* Approximately 3.8 million people in England are dependent on alcohol

* Between 780,000 and 1.3 million children affected by parental alcohol problems

* One in 11 children live in a family with alcohol problems

* 22,000 deaths each year are attributable to alcohol

* Alcohol misuse is associated with 150,000 hospital admissions each year

* Alcohol misuse costs the NHS up to £1.7 million each year



Useful links

Alcohol abuse information (Department of Health)    -  general information about the government's alcohol policy

Alcohol Concern    - alcohol abuse charity

National Association for Children of Alcoholics    - advocacy group for children affected by parental drug and alcohol abuse

National Treatment Agency for Sunstance Misuse   - health authority, created by the government, to improve the availability and effectiveness of drug abuse treatment

Frank - free confidential drugs information for adolescents and parents

Addaction    - charity working with people who abuse drugs and alcohol

DrugScope    - independent centre of expertise on drugs

Turning Point   - social care charity

Action on Addiction   - research charity dedicated to seeking new ways to prevent and treat nicotine, alcohol and drug abuse.

Every Child Matters (substance misuse)    - government policy aiming to significantly reduce the numbers of young people affected by substance misuse.