Interesting data you may have missed from the world of alcohol and other drugs in the UK. Part of a regular series.

1. Interesting things you
may have missed
September 2015
Andrew Brown

2. UK vs EU drinking habits
Source: Special
Eurobarometer 331: EU
citizens’ attitudes towards
alcohol
Highest levels in EU

3. Are there appropriate care pathways for people with both
mental health and alcohol problems?
“There is still a struggle with
the dual needs of people with
alcohol and mental health
issues; this becomes very
frustrating as people seem to
fall into a gap between
services. It seems that services
can only work with a person
either with mental health or
addiction - not with the whole
person.”
Source: The Recovery Partnership Review of Alcohol Treatment Services

4. Referrals to substance misuse services in Wales
Referred individuals may have more
than one problem substance; here, each
substance is recorded.
Source: https://statswales.wales.gov.uk/Catalogue/Health-and-Social-Care/Substance-Misuse

5. Cost of course of Sovaldi treatment for Hepatitis C
Source:
http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la
-fi-mh-this-outrageously-overpriced-
hepatitis-drug-20150728-column.html

6. The cost of a liver transplant = £59,350 (in 2003)
Source:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio
ns/liver-disease-in-the-south-west-a-
health-needs-assessment

7. Number and percentage of exclusions from secondary
school in England for drug or alcohol related reasons
Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-exclusions

8. How often do secondary schools in England teach
lessons about substance misuse
Source: http://www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB17879
“Most schools said that they
also provided a range of
drug education or advice
outside lessons. This was
most likely to include
school assemblies (61% of
all schools), one-to-one
advice (58%), external
speakers (55%), leaflets
(48%) and posters (41%).
One in five schools (19%)
said that they did not offer
any such advice outside
lessons.”

9. What proportion of prisoners took particular drugs in
the year before custody
Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/needs-and-characteristics-of-young-adults-in-custody
The results demonstrate that
drugs are a problem among
prisoners, regardless of age, in
contrast to general population
figures (although older
prisoners who had used drugs
were more likely to link their
offending with their drug
use). They also show that
older adult prisoners were
more likely to have taken
Class A drugs before custody.
This suggests that older adults
and young adult drug users
may require different types of
intervention focused on their
particular patterns of drug
use.

10. Offending in last 12 months and connection with drug
or alcohol use
Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/needs-and-characteristics-of-young-adults-in-custody

11. Drug rehabilitation and alcohol treatment requirements
Between April 2014 and December 2014 there
were 4,826 drug rehabilitation
requirement completions. The completion
rate for the nine months from April 2014 to
December 2014 was 55%.
Between April 2014 and December 2014 there
were 3,379 alcohol treatment
requirement completions. The completion
rate for the nine months from April 2014 to
December 2014 was 70%.
DRRs aim to help offenders produce
personal action plans that identify what
they must do to stop their use of drugs
and offending behaviour. They help
offenders to identify realistic ways of
changing their lives for the better,
develop their victim awareness, and
provide a credible and well-enforced
option for the courts.
ATRs provide access to a tailored
treatment programme with the aim of
reducing or eliminating alcohol
dependency and is targeted at
offenders with the most serious alcohol
misuse and offending who require
intensive, specialist, care-planned
treatment and integrated care involving
a range of agencies.
Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/prison-and-probation-performance-
statistics-2014-to-2015

12. Percentage of prisoners in settled accommodation on
release
“Getting offenders into
accommodation is the
foundation for
successful rehabilitation,
resettlement and risk
management. It can
provide the anchor for a
previously chaotic life
and act as a springboard
for other crucial steps,
such as getting and
keeping a job, and
accessing health care or
drug treatment.”
Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/prison-and-probation-performance-statistics-2014-to-
2015
89%

13. Witnessed a crime by whether used illegal drugs in the
last year
“Using illegal drugs was
also associated with
witnessing crime, with
over three-fifths (62%) of
adults who reported using
drugs in the previous 12
months having witnessed a
crime, compared with
under two-fifths (37%) of
those who had not used
illegal drugs.”
Source: Witnessing crime: findings from the crime survey 2013 to 2014

14. Predicted vs actual reconviction rates following CBT
intervention
“Examining recidivism rates
for around 21,000 men
released from custody
between 1997 and 2005 who
had attended cognitive skills
training while in prison
showed that overall the
programme was associated
with significantly less
reconviction than was
predicted. The reconviction
rate for the whole sample was
47.2%, which was 8.4
percentage points lower than
predicted.”
Source: How cognitive skills training affects reconviction rates