Partners help county tackle alcohol and drugs mis-use
MORE than 250,000 people consume more than 14 units of alcohol per week in Hampshire, and in Rushmoor, Havant and Gosport the risk of death is higher than in others, new data has revealed.
It is estimated that every year the social and economic costs of alcohol-related harm amount to £21.5 billion. In comparison, harm from illicit drug use costs £19.3bn.
New data shows the consumption and dependency of alcohol among Hampshire residents has increased in the last year. According to the figures, 257,500 residents aged over 16 drink more than 14 units of alcohol in a week. Of those, 11,250 are estimated to be dependent on alcohol.
Admissions for alcohol-related conditions are higher in Hampshire than in England as a whole. Alcoholrelated
deaths are also higher in areas like Rushmoor, Havant and Gosport. To tackle the problem, Hampshire County Council works with Inclusion Recovery Hampshire, Parent Support Link and Catch 22, which provides help to children and young people aged under 25 who are affected by substance misuse.
During the Hampshire Health and Wellbeing Board, Becky, a user of the Catch 22 service, described how supportive and life-changing it was for her and how it impacted her life, giving her a purpose.
She said: “I used substances from the age of 15. When I first got a Catch-22 worker, I thought to myself, maybe there is another way. I completely accepted that I was a drug user. I stole things; I took things; I ruined my family’s life and my own in the process.
“My worker pushed for me. She believed in me when I didn’t even believe in myself. She helped me get into the rehab pathways for inclusion. I went into treatment for three months. I went to the Bournemouth Providence projects, and from that moment I haven’t used a drink or used drugs.
“Coming out, it was all very scary. Volunteering for inclusion completely changed my life; it gave me a purpose in life. I thought I was going to be this drug user who tears through my family’s home, taking things to sell and all of that stuff.
“From that, going into treatment and working on myself and my recovery, I can now say I’m nearly three years clean and sober.
“I work within Catch 22. There was an apprenticeship scheme and it completely changed my life. Today I help people who are like me, and I’m that person who believes in them when they don’t believe in themselves. I just love my job. I love that my work pushes me to do this because it has changed my life, and I’m so grateful for all the services.”
To continue work to prevent and reduce alcohol and drug harm, the county council also works closely with schools to prevent usage at an early age, developing campaigns such as ‘Rethink Your Drink,’ which includes an online quiz to find out “if you are drinking too much”.
County council officers also indicate that extra government funding will allow the organisation to increase treatment numbers by 20% by 2024/25, improve continuity of care between prison and community treatment, increase access to residential rehab and reduce drugrelated deaths.
In Hampshire, an estimated 4,023 people are using illicit opiates or crack cocaine. Of those, 78% are male, and the highest use rates are among 25 to 34-year-olds.