Half of UK population know someone addicted to alcohol or drugs

Tom Moberly
Healthcarerepublic
December 2, 2009

Almost half of people in the UK know someone who is addicted to alcohol or drugs, results of an Ipsos MORI poll suggest.

[efoods]

The study reveals the scale of drug and alcohol abuse in the UK

Of 1,041 people aged 16 to 64 responding to the survey, 43% said they knew someone who had an alcohol or drugs problem at an addiction level. Addiction was classified as an obsession, compulsion of excessive psychological dependence. A further 14% said they knew someone with a mental illness.

The survey was conducted on behalf of the online broadcaster Inexcess Television, which specialises in addiction and recovery. The station is seeking to draw attention to the issue and the opportunities for recovery.

Editor Ed Mitchell commented: ‘The findings clearly show the scale of the problem facing all of us, but especially the government and the NHS.

‘When the raw figures are translated into human terms, that’s an awful lot of misery. If alcohol were a communicable disease, a national emergency would be declared. There has to be a co-ordinated response.’

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