“Addictive behaviour is defined as repetitive habit pattern that increases the risk of diseases and/or associated personal and social problems. The individual has a loss of control, immediate gratification with deleterious effects, and experiences relapses when trying to quit”1
“A chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences. It is considered a brain disease because drugs change the brain—they change its structure and how it works. These brain changes can be long lasting, and can lead to the harmful behaviours seen in people who abuse drugs.”2
5 interesting facts about alcohol consumption in Great Britain (ONS, 2013)3
1. Almost 6 out of 10 adults said that they had drunk alcohol in the last week
2. 18% of those aged 65 and over drank alcohol on 5 or more days in the last week; more than any other age group
3. Young people (those aged 16-24) were more likely to have drunk very heavily (more than 12 units for men and nine units for women) at least once during the week (27%), with similar proportions for men (26%) and women (28%). Only 3% of those aged 65 and over were very heavy drinkers.
4. Very heavy drinkers were five times more likely than other drinkers to have drunk strong beer/stout/lager/cider, and more than twice as likely to have drunk spirits or liqueurs.
5. Smokers (25%) were twice as likely as non-smokers (11%) to have drunk very heavily at least once during the week.
Drug Misuse: Findings from the 2012 to 2013 Crime Survey for England and Wales (ONS, 2013)4
1. Around 1 in 12 (8.2%) adults had taken an illicit drug (excluding mephedrone) in the last year. This equates to around 2.7 million people;
2. 2.6% of adults aged 16 to 59 had taken a Class A drug in the last year (equivalent to almost 850,000 people);
3. Cannabis was the most commonly used drug, with 6.4% of adults aged 16 to 59 using it in the last year;
4. The next most commonly used drugs in the last year were powder cocaine (1.9%) and ecstasy (1.3%). Along with cannabis, these were also the most used drugs in 2011/12;
5. For all adults, the use of mephedrone in the last year has fallen from 1.1% in 2011/12 to 0.5% in 2012/13
TREATMENT
Usually involves a comprehensive assessment of drug and/or alcohol misuse, co-existent psychiatric disorders, associated psychological and social issues and maintaining factors.
Requires Integrated Detoxification and Recovery Programme for good outcomes.
1 Marlatt, G..A., Baer , J.S., Donovan, D.M. and Kivlahan. D.R. (1988) Addictive behaviours: aetiology and treatment. Annual Review of Psychology. 39, 223-5.)
2 (Leshner, A.L. (1997) Addiction is a brain disease, and it matters. Science, 278, 45-7.)
3 Opinions and Lifestyle Survey, Drinking Habits Amongst Adults, 2012
4
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/ghs/opinions-and-lifestyle-survey/drinking-habits-amongst-adults--2012/sty-alcohol-consumption.html accessed on 8/01/2014.