The issue may have receded from newspaper headlines but Scotland is still in the midst of a drug deaths crisis. There were 1,197 suspected drug deaths last year and data from Public Health Scotland shows 294 suspected drug deaths between December and February – a rise on the last quarter. With all that’s going on in politics, it’s vital that this isn’t forgotten.
Across Scotland , vulnerable men, women and children are at risk of dying due to addiction – devastating families and whole communities. A frightening number of people are affected. The most recent data suggests that around 50,000 people in Scotland are addicted to opioids, making them most at risk of becoming a part of Scotland’s harrowing statistics.
Alcohol addiction is also hugely concerning. The number of people in Scotland whose death was caused by alcohol is thought to have risen to the highest level in 14 years, with at least 1,276 alcohol-related deaths in 2022. This tragic situation is made far worse by our beleaguered healthcare infrastructure.
Scots are simply unable to get the support they need to escape the terror of addiction, stay free, and find the tools they need to rebuild their lives. A Right to Recovery Bill is being debated in Holyrood (Image: free) It is so, so important for struggling people to be shown compassion and offered a genuine way of escape. This is what my charity, FAVOR UK, is seeking to secure through our work, and policies such as the Right to Recovery Bill, which is d.