20 August 2024
Today (Tuesday 20 August), the National Records of Scotland published its annual report on drug-related deaths. The report finds that:
- In 2023, there were 1,172 drug misuse deaths registered in Scotland, an increase of 12% (121 deaths) compared with 2022.
- Whilst drug misuse deaths in Scotland have generally been increasing over the last two decades, this is the second lowest number in the last six years
- People in the most deprived areas of Scotland are more than 15 times as likely to die from drug misuse compared to people in the least deprived areas. The association of deprivation with drug misuse deaths is much greater than with other causes of death.
- The most common type of drugs implicated in drug misuse deaths in 2023 were opiates/opioids, which were implicated in 80% of all deaths.
Our Director of Service Delivery in Scotland, Louise Stewart, says: “Through the National Mission, the Scottish Government is working with health and social care partnerships and organisations like WithYou to deliver effective and innovative services in communities across the country. Yet today’s report shows that we aren’t moving quickly enough to save lives.
“We need to interrogate why so many people in Scotland use drugs and alcohol harmfully - and why they have done so for generations.
“Armed with a better understanding of this public health crisis, we can develop a cross-cutting approach that doesn’t look at drug use in isolation - but invests in preventative community measures, appropriate housing, access to health and mental health services and our overall quality of life.
“Today, my thoughts are with all those who have lost a loved one. And my advice for anyone who is worried about their drug use, or that of someone close to them, is quite simply to get in touch. Our webchat offers free, confidential advice from expert recovery workers.“
Eddie’s story
Eddie, 48, lives in a town in the Scottish Borders. He started using heroin at the age of 38 after losing the much-loved job that he had held for more than two decades.
Eddie says: “When I lost my job I went into a proper depression. The one person I turned to for support offered me a smoke of heroin. I was convinced it wouldn’t catch me, but six weeks later I was addicted.”
The next nine years of Eddie’s life were taken over by his heroin use. Then his daughters gave him an ultimatum - and encouraged him to reach out to WithYou in the Borders. He started attending regular sessions at WithYou in the Borders and received a prescription for Buvidal, an opiate substitution therapy, from the Borders Addiction Service.
With this support, Eddie stopped using heroin at the start of 2022. In October 2022, he lost his left leg following an infection in his foot and, despite this traumatic experience, he was able to stay off heroin.
Eddie continues: “Over the years I’ve had seven or eight overdoses - including two in one week. I’ve always woken up, a lot of people aren’t as lucky.
“It’s worth reaching out for help. I know people are scared but it really is worth it.”