| Topic: Drug deaths up! |
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| 21. Author: wee eck Date: Fri 29th Sep 2023. 20:57 There are lots of rock stars who have survived drug addiction and gone on to lead long lives. Isn`t it likely they were able to pay for the treatment less fortunate addicts couldn`t afford? Reply |
| 22. Author: sammer Date: Fri 29th Sep 2023. 22:19 Money can buy a solution to many problems but I don`t know if addiction is one of them. Jim Baxter and George Best were given a second chance through fundraising but neither of them succeeded in overcoming their addiction. sammer Reply |
| 23. Author: Wotsit Date: Sat 30th Sep 2023. 06:17 Treating the physiological symptoms is not the same thing as treating the addiction. Also, alcohol misuse has a much worse physiological impact than opiates. The enemy travels by private jet, not by dinghy. Post Edited (Sat 30 Sep 06:19) Reply |
| 24. Author: Andrew283 Date: Sat 30th Sep 2023. 17:23 Wotsit, Sat 30 Sep 06:17 And certainly worse than that hyper dangerous Class B (wtf?) drug, Cannabis. Government are out their feeble little minds Reply |
| 25. Author: Parboiled Date: Wed 11th Sep 2024. 15:13 Now highest for 15 years. “We are making progress” blethers Jenni Minto Public Heaith minister. And I’m walking backwards for Xmas. Who’s gonna reach their target first? Post Edited (Wed 11 Sep 15:20) Reply |
| 26. Author: jake89 Date: Thu 12th Sep 2024. 08:13 Current indicators are largely pointless. You won`t see a marked change in drug deaths for potentially years but the key thing is to act now to protect the next generation. Unfortunately, I`ve seen almost no action taken in my lifetime. If anything, things are worse, and that`s regardless of who has been in power. There`s a mental health crisis making things even worse as people self medicate. We don`t have enough people in the social work and care sector to support this. Weirdly, we had plenty to bail out banks, fund wars and give away for dodgy PPE. Reply |
| 27. Author: Parboiled Date: Thu 12th Sep 2024. 10:36 oops silly me..it was actually deaths linked to alcohol that Minto was being interviewed about. Reply |
| 28. Author: The One Who Knocks Date: Thu 12th Sep 2024. 10:42 Sorry Jake I`m maybe misunderstanding your post. Current indicators would be pointless if action had been taken but you don`t think any action has been taken in your lifetime so surely those indicators are valid. If no action has been taken why would you expect to see a marked change in drug deaths? And although my eyes were open They just might as well be closed Reply |
| 29. Author: Wotsit Date: Thu 12th Sep 2024. 13:40 There was a huge spike in heroin use in the 1990s, the so-called Trainspotting Generation. The vast majority of that cohort are not going to stop using, they have been at it for 30 years or so now and would already have stopped if they were ever going to. That generation is, sadly, lost. Even if they die in an accident they are all going to have drugs mentioned on their death certificates and they are all going to be a part of the drug death statistics when they die, and they are all at, or over, the life expectancy for a long-term heroin user in Scotland. Scotland also has unique cultural stuff going on in the drug-using community. Scottish addicts inject way more often (and way more different substances) than other places for example. It`s been that way for a long time too - older folk will remember "jellies" and how many folk lost legs from injecting them. We also have a pretty unhealthy relationship with alcohol in this country and addiction doesn`t care about your history. It is interesting to hear the backgrounds of the "jakeys" hanging out in Edinburgh - I expect that a lot of folk would be surprised. Whilst we should definitely be supporting those currently in addiction and adopting a medical model based on harm-reduction, my view is that if we take our eye off the ball in terms of prevention then we will be facing a new Trainspotting Generation. The pandemic has already impacted the mental health of young people in ways that are only starting to be apparent and there`s a really high chance that they will turn to drugs before too long as a way to self medicate. Post Edited (Thu 12 Sep 14:58) Reply |
| 30. Author: jake89 Date: Thu 12th Sep 2024. 14:31 The One Who Knocks, Thu 12 Sept 10:42 What I mean is current indicators likely relate to how things were a generation ago rather than right now. It`s a highly complex thing to do analysis on so even measuring the impact of something like an anti-drugs campaign would be hard to do. Even if looking back, drug use can be multi-generational. In terms of success, you could argue that drug deaths beginning to plateau is "good" but then what we need to see is significant reductions. The only way of achieving this is understanding why people turn to drugs in the first place and attempting to resolve the triggers. Unfortunately, the triggers are usually related to poverty and childhood trauma, both of which are very difficult issues. Reply |
| 31. Author: moviescot Date: Thu 12th Sep 2024. 22:02 Parboiled, Thu 12 Sep 10:36 Since the SNP came to power alcohol related deaths have fallen by 140 from 1417 - Around 10%. Since 2006 to 2022 in England it has risen by 2951 deaths (59%). Wales has increased by 146(43%) in the same period. Reply |
| 32. Author: jake89 Date: Fri 13th Sep 2024. 07:24 Alcohol is often forgotten, perhaps intentionally so as issues with alcohol are highest in England but also lowest (per head) for interventions. I`m not aware of what interventions they have in England but the rates of alcoholism appear to have been on the up since 2007/8. Reply |
| 33. Author: Parboiled Date: Fri 13th Sep 2024. 09:04 The % per population for each part of the UK is the stat that matters. Minto was clueless as to why the Scottish deaths were the highest for 15 years, and claims that progress was being made invited ridicule from the interviewer, who was a bit of a bully it must be said Reply |
| 34. Author: jake89 Date: Fri 13th Sep 2024. 14:02 Parboiled, Fri 13 Sept 09:04 I was referring to per head but to alcohol generally rather than alcohol-specific deaths. Alcohol deaths have sadly risen again (by 0.3 per 1000 people). Unfortunately, this rise was the same in Wales and DOUBLE in England (0.6 increase). Alcoholism is often a hidden problem but it`s interesting it remains so high when so many are turning their backs on booze. I was remarking just this week that I was astonished at the grown up kids on my street never hitting the pubs or clubs. They play football or go to the gym! Perhaps, as with drug deaths, we`ll see it get worse before this generation comes through and makes things better? Interventions for alcohol are an interesting one though. The biggest one in Scotland has been Minimum Unit Pricing. Essentially the sugar tax for booze. My concern with MUP has always been that those who are problem drinkers will always find a way. They don`t drink because they want to, they drink because they need to. What happens when they can`t afford booze? Presumably they have to steal or turn to alternatives, which may then inadvertently trigger an increase in drug deaths. This is why my opinion is more is needed to be done about mental health. We`re yet to really see the true impact of COVID lockdowns and how that may have and continues to affect mental health. Reply |
| 35. Author: desparado Date: Fri 13th Sep 2024. 14:47 Topic Originator: Parboiled Date: Fri 13 Sep 09:04 The % per population for each part of the UK is the stat that matters. Minto was clueless as to why the Scottish deaths were the highest for 15 years, and claims that progress was being made invited ridicule from the interviewer, who was a bit of a bully it must be said. And why are drug and alcohol deaths proportionally higher in Scotland ? Why were they higher before devolution ? And what have Scottish governments done or not done since 1999 that could have made a significant difference? Same question for the UK gov. There is more to drug deaths than meets the eye. There are socio economic reasons and mental health reason and for you to revel in the number of people who die from OD is absolutely disgusting. Unionist MP’s and MSP’s also take delight, it’s beyond reprehensible… What an opportunity we missed in 2014. Reply |
| 36. Author: jake89 Date: Sat 14th Sep 2024. 07:45 I`ve not seen the data, but I`d guess the majority of drug and alcohol deaths happen in: Glasgow Dundee North Lanarkshire Inverclyde Why? Deprivation and they are largely grey and run down leading to higher instances of depression and general poor mental health. All suffered deindustrialisation and probably multiple generations of substance abuse and childhood trauma. Trauma and mental health is tough to put into reverse, particularly when drugs offer an easy and immediate release. Money has been poured into all these places to create jobs and opportunities but it`s not going to change overnight. It will take decades to undo damage that really started 50 years ago. Reply |
| 37. Author: KirklistonPar Date: Thu 19th Sep 2024. 21:12 Other countries have decriminalised drugs and some have made them legal. I wonder what their percentage of fatalities are compared to Scotland and other parts of the UK. Putting someone in jail who is an addict or a functioning drug user is never going to help them. Also the fear of being branded a criminal or going to jail may actually be stopping users coming forward and asking for help. I’ve been lucky and never had an addiction problem but I would of though that most people who do. would of at some point in their life thought there usage was getting out of hand and help was needed This is the point where they should have free and easy access to help and not be made to feel like criminals, worthless, embarrassed or ashamed. Post Edited (Thu 19 Sep 22:11) Reply |
| 38. Author: jake89 Date: Thu 19th Sep 2024. 22:57 I believe it was Portugal who legalised drugs and it led to significant improvement. That won`t fly in Scotland as it would need Westminster agreement. There have been various studies done on the matter of drug and alcohol deaths and access is only one issue. In my opinion there are two significant changes that would make a difference - easier/quicker to mental health support and improvements to areas people live in. Unfortunately, both these things are expensive. 15 minute neighbourhoods have received a lot of bad rep due to the false representation of people being confined to the area they live. Mostly nonsense but the key thing about the concept is ensuring ALL neighbourhoods give people the facilities they need LOCALLY. Most of it is achievable - build estates around "centres" offering leisure, retail and entertainment so you don`t need to travel. The more problematic thing is employment. Most of the rougher parts of Scotland are where there was once a significant industrial workforce. We can see it in Fife with places like Levenmouth. It`s languished for years. The new rail line will open up opportunities for people there to work elsewhere but the ideal is that link makes the area more attractive to potential employers. That will take years but if you don`t start something, it`ll never happen. Anyway, bit of a ramble to say no single thing will solve the issue and all the potential solutions will take time and money but MUST happen or things will never change. Finally, these deaths aren`t something to be embarrassed about or use as political clout, they`re something to be angry about. Reply |
| 39. Author: desparado Date: Sun 22nd Sep 2024. 10:56 Need Westminster agreement. And there lies your problem. Holyrood can only tinker with the multiple issues that cause people to take drugs. Scotland had a problem way before the Scottish Parliament was reconvened. While Scotland still has the highest death rate, England and Wales figures are horrendous and they are increasing at a faster rate than they are up here. As long as we remain part of the union then things are only going to get worse. Mental health issues are increasing across the U.K. U.K. is at or near the bottom of the “ happiness league” U.K. is fast becoming one of the most miserable places to live in the developed world. It does not matter a jot what the Scottish gov does or does not do as it will only have a minimal effect. Austerity…..again…..will only exacerbate the problem even further I am afraid. We voted to stay in the Union, so we have to take all the sh** that comes with it. If you think things are bad now, wait another ten years and see how much worse things will be. It’s downhill all the way from here folks. What an opportunity we missed in 2014. What an opportunity we missed in 2014. Reply |