

How bad are the drug deaths figures?

Shortly after 4pm on Saturday afternoon, police discovered the body Amy Winehouse in her London home. The singer's battles with drink and drug addictions received orders of magnitude more publicity over the last five years than her prodigious musical talent.

Police are treating Winehouse's death as unexplained, but press reports have widely suggested the case is being treated as a suspected overdose. Whether or not that is the case, the story has drawn attention to problem drug users in England.

Each day, across England and Wales, drug use or its complications claim the lives of five people.

In 2008, the latest year for which figures are available, 1,738 people died drugs-related deaths, of whom 374 were women. Accidental overdose was the principal cause of death, account for 763 of the cases.

Winehouse was 27 years old at her death (coincidentally, so were Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and Rolling Stone Brian Jones). 439 people aged 29 or under died of drugs-related causes in 2008.

Drug deaths are still on the rise: yearly deaths have increased by 19% over the last decade – equivalent to an extra 281 deaths each year.

But despite the increase in deaths from drug use – and frequent headlines about drug epidemics –use of illegal substances in the UK has fallen substantially.

In 1996, researchers found 5.6 million adults in England had taken illegal drugs in the previous year. By 2009, this had fallen substantially, to 4.4 million.

The proportion of children aged between 11 and 15 who have ever tried drugs is likewise down, from 29% in 2001 to 22% in 2009.

Despite these promising figures, the prognosis for the 320,000 problem drug users, the majority of whom take both heroin and crack cocaine, is grim.

To an extent, Winehouse's experience with rehab – she was most recently treated at the Priory for a week in June – was typical: only a tiny fraction of users leave treatment drug free.

Around 206,000 of these problem drug users received some kind of rehab treatment in 2009-10. Around 62,600 completed some form of treatment – but only 8,112 left entirely drug free. However, a further 15,568 left still using drugs, but defined as "dependence free". Over 1,000 each year die during treatment.

Similarly, hospital admissions of drug users with mental health or behavioural problems has increased 78% over the last decade, reaching 44,585 in 2008-9, though this rise is partly attributable to better recording.

The data reveals that while Amy Winehouse's early death may have been a tragedy, it was not an isolated one – and that while overall drug use may be falling, problem drug use, and the harms that accompany it, remains on the rise.

On most days however, the five people who succumb to their addiction do so far out of the sight of the media.

Data summary

Hospital admissions by primary care trust Click heading to sort table. Download this data No Region/Primary care trust Poisoning by drugs, primary diagnosis Per 100,000 pop Mental health or behavioural, primary or secondary diagnosis Per 100,000 1 England 11,618 22.4 44,585 86.1 2 North East Strategic Health Authority 1,051 40.7 2,373 91.8 3 County Durham 220 43.4 391 77.2 4 Darlington 49 48.8 153 152.4 5 Gateshead 73 38.3 208 109.0 6 Hartlepool 37 40.7 140 154.0 7 Middlesbrough 67 47.7 300 213.5 8 Newcastle 115 40.5 242 85.1 9 North Tees 72 37.7 194 101.5 10 North Tyneside 83 42.1 144 73.0 11 Northumberland Care Trust 89 28.6 232 74.6 12 Redcar and Cleveland 78 56.7 137 99.6 13 South Tyneside 42 27.6 83 54.5 14 Sunderland Teaching 126 44.7 149 52.9 15 North West Strategic Health Authority 2,363 34.3 11,601 168.2 16 Ashton, Leigh and Wigan 117 38.2 487 158.9 17 Blackburn With Darwen 83 59.3 413 295.2 18 Blackpool 61 43.6 485 346.4 19 Bolton 75 28.3 337 127.1 20 Bury 67 36.7 215 117.7 21 Central and Eastern Cheshire 101 22.2 328 71.9 22 Central Lancashire 140 30.6 566 123.6 23 Cumbria 163 32.9 424 85.7 24 East Lancashire Teaching 163 42.8 736 193.3 25 Halton and St Helens 134 45.3 517 174.8 26 Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale 93 45.4 464 226.7 27 Knowsley 39 26.1 392 262.4 28 Liverpool 109 24.6 1,963 443.8 29 Manchester 166 34.3 1,106 228.6 30 North Lancashire 64 19.6 330 100.9 31 Oldham 41 18.7 262 119.7 32 Salford 96 42.6 353 156.8 33 Sefton 56 20.5 422 154.4 34 Stockport 78 27.5 304 107.2 35 Tameside and Glossop 121 48.5 361 144.8 36 Trafford 59 27.4 134 62.2 37 Warrington 74 37.4 269 136.0 38 Western Cheshire 91 39.0 225 96.4 39 Wirral 186 60.3 525 170.2 40 Yorkshire & The Humber Strategic Health Authority 1,378 26.2 5,526 105.1 41 Barnsley 73 32.3 307 135.7 42 Bradford and Airedale Teaching 152 30.0 578 114.0 43 Calderdale 61 30.3 182 90.3 44 Doncaster 40 13.8 566 195.1 45 East Riding Of Yorkshire 65 19.3 110 32.6 46 Hull Teaching 85 32.4 523 199.3 47 Kirklees 127 31.2 230 56.5 48 Leeds 267 33.9 783 99.4 49 North East Lincolnshire 34 21.5 292 184.2 50 North Lincolnshire 32 20.4 136 86.5 51 North Yorkshire and York 154 19.3 455 57.1 52 Rotherham 49 19.3 344 135.5 53 Sheffield 97 17.7 800 146.3 54 Wakefield District 142 43.8 220 67.9 55 East Midlands Strategic Health Authority 993 22.3 3,410 76.6 56 Bassetlaw 27 24.2 183 164.0 57 Derby City 76 31.1 393 161.0 58 Derbyshire County 172 23.7 558 76.8 59 Leicester City 97 31.8 367 120.4 60 Leicestershire County and Rutland 130 19.0 250 36.6 61 Lincolnshire Teaching 109 15.6 372 53.1 62 Northamptonshire Teaching 190 27.8 270 39.5 63 Nottingham City 79 26.3 449 149.3 64 Nottinghamshire County Teaching 99 14.9 551 82.9 65 West Midlands Strategic Health Authority 1,217 22.4 4,133 76.1 66 Birmingham East and North 94 23.1 304 74.7 67 Coventry Teaching 121 38.7 237 75.8 68 Dudley 77 25.1 254 82.8 69 Heart Of Birmingham Teaching 92 32.8 464 165.4 70 Herefordshire 26 14.5 143 79.8 71 North Staffordshire 42 19.9 171 80.9 72 Sandwell 78 26.8 288 99.0 73 Shropshire County 30 10.3 151 51.7 74 Solihull Care Trust 42 20.5 75 36.5 75 South Birmingham 96 28.2 336 98.5 76 South Staffordshire 105 17.2 231 37.9 77 Stoke On Trent 93 37.7 364 147.4 78 Telford and Wrekin 27 16.6 99 61.0 79 Walsall Teaching 49 19.1 205 80.1 80 Warwickshire 110 20.6 228 42.6 81 Wolverhampton City 24 10.1 165 69.2 82 Worcestershire 111 19.9 418 75.1 83 East of England Strategic Health Authority 875 15.2 2,655 46.0 84 Bedfordshire 59 14.4 169 41.1 85 Cambridgeshire 115 18.9 377 62.1 86 East and North Hertfordshire 56 10.3 111 20.3 87 Great Yarmouth and Waveney 48 22.4 143 66.8 88 Luton 24 12.4 161 82.9 89 Mid Essex 52 14.0 80 21.6 90 Norfolk 126 16.6 378 49.9 91 North East Essex 62 19.1 112 34.5 92 Peterborough 70 40.9 237 138.4 93 South East Essex 34 10.1 182 54.1 94 South West Essex 32 7.9 135 33.3 95 Suffolk 105 17.6 287 48.1 96 West Essex 40 14.1 121 42.8 97 West Hertfordshire 52 9.5 162 29.5 98 London Strategic Health Authority 1,000 12.9 5,880 75.8 99 Barking and Dagenham 35 19.9 166 94.5 100 Barnet 31 9.0 145 42.3 101 Bexley Care Trust 12 5.3 134 59.3 102 Brent Teaching 41 16.0 154 60.3 103 Bromley 38 12.3 154 49.6 104 Camden 30 13.0 291 125.9 105 City and Hackney Teaching 29 12.7 223 98.0 106 Croydon 40 11.7 193 56.3 107 Ealing 41 13.0 244 77.1 108 Enfield 26 8.9 140 48.1 109 Greenwich Teaching 30 13.3 288 127.4 110 Hammersmith and Fulham 42 24.7 158 93.1 111 Haringey Teaching 30 13.3 211 93.6 112 Harrow 11 4.8 94 41.2 113 Havering 28 12.0 105 44.9 114 Hillingdon 30 11.4 142 54.1 115 Hounslow 43 18.4 173 73.9 116 Islington 41 21.4 276 143.9 117 Kensington and Chelsea 15 8.8 111 65.3 118 Kingston 14 8.4 88 52.8 119 Lambeth 38 13.4 386 136.3 120 Lewisham 37 14.0 250 94.5 121 Newham 30 12.4 175 72.6 122 Redbridge 32 12.0 122 45.6 123 Richmond and Twickenham 30 15.9 157 83.1 124 Southwark 30 10.5 260 91.0 125 Sutton and Merton 49 12.3 220 55.2 126 Tower Hamlets 23 9.8 196 83.5 127 Waltham Forest 52 23.2 178 79.4 128 Wandsworth 29 10.1 222 77.5 129 Westminster 43 17.2 224 89.8 130 South East Coast Strategic Health Authority 779 17.9 2,373 54.7 131 Brighton and Hove City 84 32.8 346 135.0 132 Eastern and Coastal Kent 196 26.8 485 66.2 133 East Sussex Downs and Weald 56 16.8 182 54.6 134 Hastings and Rother 46 25.8 113 63.3 135 Medway 53 20.8 234 91.8 136 Surrey 138 12.5 346 31.4 137 West Kent 102 15.0 346 51.0 138 West Sussex 103 13.0 318 40.1 139 South Central Strategic Health Authority 668 16.3 1,674 40.9 140 Berkshire East 41 10.3 149 37.3 141 Berkshire West 35 7.5 190 40.7 142 Buckinghamshire 34 6.7 77 15.1 143 Hampshire 215 16.7 469 36.4 144 Isle Of Wight NHS 13 9.3 93 66.3 145 Milton Keynes 68 28.1 155 64.0 146 Oxfordshire 139 22.6 194 31.5 147 Portsmouth City Teaching 65 31.9 263 129.2 148 Southampton City 58 24.5 87 36.8 149 South West Strategic Health Authority 1,081 20.7 4,118 78.7 150 Bath and North East Somerset 32 18.0 133 74.8 151 Bournemouth and Poole 93 30.4 257 83.9 152 Bristol 155 35.8 956 220.7 153 Cornwall and Isles Of Scilly 132 24.8 337 63.2 154 Devon 133 17.8 421 56.3 155 Dorset 37 9.2 253 62.6 156 Gloucestershire 96 16.3 374 63.5 157 North Somerset 29 13.9 195 93.3 158 Plymouth Teaching 65 25.3 334 130.1 159 Somerset 96 18.3 246 47.0 160 South Gloucestershire 40 15.3 142 54.2 161 Swindon 64 31.4 167 81.9 162 Torbay Care Trust 27 20.1 142 106.0 163 Wiltshire 83 18.2 161 35.3

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