🔗 Share this article

A recent study with 2,000 participants indicated that 25% of individuals in the UK worry that a partner, relative, or close acquaintance drinks too much. Moreover, 16% of those surveyed were anxious about a loved one's use of illegal drugs.

Increasing Addiction Issue

These findings appear to highlight what many specialists refer to as a rising "crisis" of dependency to alcohol or substances such as cocaine use and cannabis.

Government figures reveal that the National Health Service in the country is providing care for in excess of three hundred ten thousand people each year for drug or alcohol disorders – the highest figure recorded since 2009-10. Alcohol-related deaths are at record levels.

"This crisis of drink and substance misuse is getting worse. Authorities states people are consuming less alcohol, but I don't see that," commented an expert specialising in addiction.

The group overseeing the survey has seen a 40% rise in recent years in the quantity of individuals requesting assistance for dependency, with more women than men.

Important Survey Data

• Ten percent fear that themselves drink too much and one in twenty that they use drugs too often.
• 26% express concern that a spouse, family member, or close person drinks too much.
• One in six are concerned about a family member's reliance on illegal drugs.
• Individuals that have an income exceeding £50,000 a year are three times more prone to have an individual with an addiction problem.

Intergenerational Addiction

In addition, 15% of those surveyed indicated that addiction had impacted more than one generation of their family. Professionals suggested that hereditary factors might help to explain that, and certain individuals may be copying the habits of either or both of their parents.

A campaign called End the Cycle is being started to showcase how widespread multi-generational dependency has become.

Official Response

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Welfare commented that the department were restructuring National Health Service substance and drink treatment services in England after a long period of underfunding.

"The government has assigned an extra £310 million in the upcoming financial year to improve drug and alcohol treatment services and assistance programs in the country, on top of the public health grant. Our plan for improvement will shift healthcare towards proactive measures, including through timely support, to enable people to extend lifespan, improved well-being across the United Kingdom," the official stated.