Views of the Drug Problem in the UK

In 2014 an anonymous survey was done across 1,080 adults in the UK, representing a cross section of society, regarding their drug use. Though the amount surveyed is not that high, it gives an interesting view on some facts and figures here in the UK. 

Here were some of what was found:

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  I think something that can be taken from that last statistic is a change in the slant of drug education. Often the reasons discussed and focused on are things like peer pressure or feeling bullied but clearly, that is not what needs to be addressed here. 62% of people are only taking it out of curiosity! Curiosity is not a negative characteristic, so something in the education needs to change so that curiosity can be channelled elsewhere or at least the drug information can satisfy that curiosity enough! Food for thought…One-third of those surveyed had taken an illegal drug at some point, and of those that said yes, 21% were still taking them.
• 13% of those who had ever taken an illegal drug believed they had had, or still have, a problem with drugs.
• 23% of those currently using take drugs every single day.
• The most common age for first ever trying an illegal drug was between 16-18
• Marijuana is the most often taken drug at 93% followed by amphetamines (34%), cocaine (29%), Ecstasy (25%), magic mushrooms (22%), LSD (20%), ketamine (8%), mephedrone (7%), heroin (6%), crack (6%), crystal meth (3%), anabolic steroids (2%).
• Marijuana is the most common first tried drug by a long way at 82%.
• 62% of people first tried drugs purely out of curiosity, this is followed way behind by wanting to fit in with friends (14%), peer pressure (10%), unhappiness (3%) and other miscellaneous reasons.

The full report is available for viewing here:

www.theguardian.com/society/2014/oct/05/-sp-drug-use-is-rising-in-the-uk-but-were-not-addicted

For more information

or help regarding drug problems, please get in touch on

00800 802 1375 

Drug Addiction drug education

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British Adults Use Plenty of Drugs
but Much Smaller Number are Addicted

According to a new survey published by The Guardian, nearly one in three British adults has used drugs but not nearly as many consider they have a problem with drugs. Only about 13% of those surveyed think they have ever had a problem with drugs. That equates to about two million people.

In most countries, more men than women use drugs. But in Britain, the numbers are nearly equal. And those using drugs are older than drug users in other countries. In Britain, the age group most frequently using drugs is 35 to 44. Compare that to the ages of the biggest users in the U.S. – young adults aged 18 to 24.

The British preference for stimulants showed up in this survey. More than one-third of British drug users had used amphetamines and slightly less had used cocaine. Heroin is used by fewer people but of course is a riskier drug to use because of the potential for overdose. Even with a smaller pool of users, the number of people succumbing to the drug is growing by leaps and bounds. Since 1993, this number has almost tripled, reaching 2,248 in 2014.

Scotland Suffers Even Higher Rates of Drug Abuse

Scotland’s problems are even more pronounced than those of Britain. In 2014, a startling photograph summed up the country’s growing heroin problem. A young man and woman in Dundee who had lowered their jeans so they could inject heroin passed out before they could even let go of their needles. Fortunately, they were taken to the hospital and revived. The photograph served as a wake-up call to the entire country.

Scotland also struggles with abuse of synthetic drugs. In a short time period, drug squad officers seized more than 250 different types of these drugs, many of the type referred to as “bath salts.” The manufacturers of these drugs continually modify their formulas so as to circumvent laws that try to keep these drugs out of users’ hands so there’s an ever-increasing number of drugs on the illicit market.

Narconon Drug Rehabilitation in the UK

The UK is under assault by drug dealers of all types. Only an effective rehabilitation helps individuals put a dangerous, drug-using life behind them. For fifty years in locations all around the world, the Narconon drug rehabilitation programme has been helping bring about this change. Now, from an East Sussex location, Narconon offers this restorative programme to all UK residents.

Narconon UK is a place where those who are addicted are helped to overcome the cravings that repeatedly drive them back to more drugs. That healing is accomplished without the use of other addictive substances like methadone. Instead, healthy methods like thorough sauna-based detoxification, an education in sober living skills and a unique method of recovering from past trauma are used.

It takes longer than 30 days to bring about a lasting recovery from an addiction that could have lasted decades. At Narconon UK, each person progresses to sobriety at their own rate. What is important is that the skills to guide one’s life down a sober path are learned.

In this beautiful country manor, someone you care about can find a new and lasting sober life. Call Narconon UK to learn more about this healthy alternative to drug-based treatment programmes.

If you need help or advise on talking to your loved one, 

then call us on

00800 802 1375

Visit Narconon United Kingdom's website

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/drug-deaths-statistics-highest-ever-recorded-heroin-crack-cocaine-ecstasy-a7162766.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/scotland/11823685/Scottish-drug-deaths-reach-record-levels.html

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/crime/picture-shocked-nation-experts-say-4132482

addiction bath salts England Heroin Scotland synthetic drugs UK

A Dangerous Time to Be on Drugs

Today, more than ever, is a dangerous time to be addicted to drugs. Not only are there more drugs than ever before, but the purity, potency and even the chemical makeup of the drugs can very widely, thereby greatly increasing the possibility of drug overdoses or other severely bad reactions.

A couple of generations ago there were really only a dozen street drugs generally available and their strength and effects were fairly well known by drug users. Times have now changed though, with a multitude of synthetic drugs being made month to month, with new pharmaceutical drugs escaping from a controlled medical environment onto the street, and with many drugs being adulterated with dangerous chemicals or other drugs. All of this means that the drug user is often playing a game of Russian Roulette, never knowing when the hammer is going to fall on a loaded chamber.

There are now literally hundreds of different forms of non-prescription, synthetic drugs on the market. Not all of them are even illegal because the drug manufacturers keep changing the chemical components of the substances to stay ahead of the legislation which attempts to outlaw these drugs. These ‘legal highs’ though, are just as dangerous as many of the illegal drugs out there and sometimes more so.

Many formulas out there don’t even have names but are just known by their research numbers such as 251-NBOMe, or HU-210. Synthetic cannabis for example just in 2013 was found to have 29 new different forms! This is out of the 81 total new synthetic drugs or forms of drugs found in the UK alone. When the chemical composition of what the user smokes, injects or eats varies widely, it can often occur that the effects of those drugs are equally unpredictable. There are records of these and other synthetic drugs causing psychotic breaks, suicides and even homicides.

But it is not only synthetic drugs which can have unknown effects. Today it is very common for more “traditional” street drugs, such as heroin, to be laced with other substances. For example, the prescription drug, Fenytal, many times stronger than heroin, is sometimes added to strengthen the high which the junkie gets from his heroin hit. That added boost can easily cause an overdose.

This is why now, more than ever, it is a dangerous time to be buying drugs and using drugs.

If you know of a friend or loved one who is abusing drugs, don’t wait. Contact Narconon so that we can work together to get that person into a programme to free him from drug abuse and its attendant risks.

For more help on educating someone you know 
against these legal highs or getting help 
for someone who is already addicted, call us on

00800 808 5749

Visit Narconon United Kingdom's website