Drug deaths rise in England and Wales for eighth year in a row
4,561 drug related deaths were reported in 2020 according to the Office for National Statistics
A new report out today from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows there were the highest amount of drug related poisonings in England and Wales last year since records began in 1993.
In 2020, 4,561 deaths were reported, the equivalent of 79.5 deaths per million people and 3.8% higher than the number registered in 2019. In the last decade there's been an increase of over 60%.
Sussex was one of the few county's across England and Wales to actually see a fall in the number of drug deaths.
In 2019, 103 were reported across the county but that figure dropped down to 81 last year.
Eytan Alexander, CEO of UK Addiction Treatment Group, which runs the Recovery Lighthouse in Worthing, said the pandemic has played a part.
He said: "We're in a pandemic in a pandemic, that's what we see. What's actually happened is, in the time we've been in lockdown, people have had more time...people are looking for that ease and comfort where they're taking these drugs and it becomes a crutch".
It is important to note that the ONS report does say the following: "Statistics are based on the year of death registration – because of death registration delays, around half of these deaths will have occurred in the previous year (2019), and the majority will have occurred before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the UK."
Eytan continued: "It's about the learning about well ok this is what can happen, and does happen. It's not a fable it's reality, this can kill you. Spending the money there is important. What we do is we go into schools and we start teaching that awareness...prevention is the start."
If you're struggling with addiction the UKAT helpline can be reached on 0808 274 0903.