Data out last week shows the number of under 18s in drug and alcohol treatment in 2023-24 has risen by 16% from the previous year. To the extent this reflects an increase in numbers accessing the professional support they need, this is good. To the extent it represents a significant increase in numbers of children and young people experiencing challenges with their alcohol and other drug use, this is a concern.
Alongside this, the most recent government data on young people’s smoking, drinking and drug use, also recently published, and based on a survey run within this same time period, shows levels of alcohol and other drug use by 11-15 year olds overall have fallen for a second survey running. Does this discrepancy suggest the proportions developing a problematic relationship with alcohol and other drugs is increasing? With the median age accessing treatment at just under 16, is this another sign of fallout from COVID, in a cohort who spent their early years at secondary school in lockdown? It’s hard to tell from a mixed bag of data, but it adds to the concern.
In terms of trends, cannabis remains firmly the most common substance (87%) that children and young people came to treatment for. Alcohol is the next on the list (39%) but has seen a downward trend, reflected in falling levels of young people’s use of alcohol over several years. On the up, however, has been ketamine, with numbers almost doubling in the course of two years (from 4.5% to 8.4%), overtaking cocaine as a cause of dependence for the first time ever. Also continuing to increase is solvent and inhalant misuse (which includes using nitrous oxide), more than doubling over two years, and although numbers remain smaller than some other substances (6.1%) this a trend in the wrong direction.
Young people accessing treatment who also have mental health treatment needs has also continued to increase steadily, rising to 49% in 2023-24 from 32% in 2018-19. However, the main vulnerability by far is early onset of use – starting to use substances before the age of 15. Almost one in ten girls (9%) accessing treatment reported child sexual exploitation, and just over one in ten boys (11%) reported child criminal exploitation.
The good news in all of this is that the reason the vast majority (85%) of young people left services was because they had completed their treatment, and although many will have taken with them multiple other ongoing challenges, hopefully this will have given them that bit more strength, and some different strategies, and access to different services if they needed them, which will help them on their way to becoming their best selves, as they head off out into a world of adulthood.
