Adult substance misuse treatment statistics 2023 to 2024: report (Data applies to England). 

Trends in treatment numbers
There were 310,863 adults aged 18 and over in contact with drug and alcohol treatment services between April 2023 and March 2024. This is a 7% rise compared to the previous year (290,635), the largest rise in adults in treatment since 2008 to 2009, and the highest number of adults in treatment since 2009 to 2010. The number of adults entering treatment in 2023 to 2024 was 158,991, which is higher than the previous 2 years’ figures (133,704 and 137,749). The numbers of people entering treatment was relatively stable from 2016 to 2017 up to 2021 to 2022.

Trends in substance use: all adults in treatment
Overall numbers in each substance group grew in 2023 to 2024, but there was little change in the relative proportions of all adults in treatment.

Just under half (44%) of adults in treatment were there for problems with opiates. Despite a slight decrease in the proportion of people in this group over time (down from 48% in 2022 to 2023), it remains the largest substance group, with 137,965 people. You can find more information about what the different substance groups are in the ‘People in treatment: substance, sex, age’ section.

People in treatment for alcohol alone make up the second largest group (30%) of adults in treatment. The proportion of people in this group has remained relatively stable at 30% in 2022 to 2023, despite the number of people in this group growing from 86,257 to 94,173.

The other 2 substance groups increased as a proportion of all adults in treatment. There was a 1.4 percentage point increase in the non-opiate group and a 1.3 percentage point increase in the non-opiate and alcohol group. This follows a 0.1 percentage point rise last year for the non-opiate group and a 0.4 percentage point increase for the non-opiate and alcohol group.

Trends in substance use, new entrants to treatment
After an increase last year, the proportion of adults entering treatment for problems with crack cocaine use remained the same as last year (19%, or 30,065 people). However, the proportion of people who are using crack with opiates decreased slightly (from 15% to 14%) and those who are using crack without opiates increased slightly (from 4% to 5%). The proportion of adults starting treatment for powder cocaine problems increased by 2 percentage points (from 17% to 19%), the highest proportion since reporting began.

The proportion of new entrants to treatment with cannabis problems remained stable this year, with the proportion of this group growing by 0.5 percentage points (20.9% to 21.4%). The number of new entrants with benzodiazepine problems increased from 3,620 in 2022 to 2023 to 3,872 this year, although the proportion relative to all new entrants decreased by 0.2 percentage points (2.6% in 2022 to 2023, 2.4% in 2023 to 2024).

There was an increase in the proportion of adults entering treatment in 2023 to 2024 with ketamine problems (from 1.6% in 2022 to 2023 to 2.3% this year). The number of ketamine users starting treatment (3,609) is now over 8 times higher than it was in 2014 to 2015, when the number was 426.

Housing
From 2022 to 2023, services could record more detailed information about the current housing situation of people in treatment, including whether they were at risk of homelessness within the next 8 weeks. A fifth (21%) of people starting treatment had no home of their own when data was recorded. Thirty-nine per cent of people starting treatment with opiate problems had no home of their own, the highest proportion among the 4 substance groups. Almost 1 in 10 people (9%) starting treatment said they had a risk of homelessness in the next 8 weeks. The proportion for people with opiate problems was twice as high (18%). For people with alcohol problems only, this proportion was 5%. People starting treatment for problems with psychoactive substances (mainly synthetic cannabinoids) were most likely to report a risk of homelessness, with nearly a quarter (23%) saying they could be made homeless in the next 8 weeks.

Mental ill health
Almost three-quarters (72%, or 115,229) of adults starting treatment said they had a mental health treatment need. This is a similar proportion to the previous year (71%) but remains high compared to 2018 to 2019 (53%). Over two-thirds of new starters in all substance groups reported a mental health treatment need. This need varied by substance group, ranging from 69% in the opiate group to 78% of the non-opiates and alcohol group.

Treatment exits and deaths in treatment
There were 137,477 people who exited the drug and alcohol treatment system in 2023 to 2024. Nearly half (47%) of those that left had successfully completed their treatment, free from dependence. This is similar to the proportion of people who successfully completed treatment in the previous year (46%). The total number of people who died while in contact with treatment services in 2023 to 2024 was 4,022, or 1.3% of all adults in treatment. This represents a 0.14 percentage point decrease in the proportion of deaths of all adults in treatment compared to last year.

Smoking among people in treatment
Over 47,000 people (47%) said they had smoked tobacco in the 28 days before starting treatment in 2023 to 2024. Across all substance groups, the level of smoking for men and women was substantially higher than the smoking rate of the general adult population in England, which was 13.4% for men and 9.9% for women, reported in the 2023 edition of the Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) Smoking habits in the UK and its constituent countries. Despite these high levels of smoking, only 4% of people were recorded as having been offered referrals for smoking cessation interventions, which is similar to the proportion recorded in 2022 to 2023...

_______________________________________________________

Previous report - Adult substance misuse treatment statistics 2022 to 2023: report. (Data applies to England)

Trends in treatment numbers

• There were 290,635 adults in contact with drug and alcohol services between April 2022 and March 2023. This is a small rise compared to the previous year (289,215).
• The number of adults entering treatment in 2022 to 2023 was 137,749, which is higher than the previous 2 years’ figures (130,490 and 133,704). The numbers of people entering treatment was relatively stable from 2016 to 2017 up to 2021 to 2022.

Trends in substance use treatment

• Nearly half (48%) the adults in treatment were there for problems with opiates. Despite the number of people in treatment for opiate use slightly decreasing from last year (from 140,558 to 138,604), this remains the largest substance group. You can find more information about what the different substance groups are in the ‘People in treatment: substance, sex, age’ section.
• People in treatment for alcohol alone make up the next largest group (30%) of all adults in treatment. The number of those rose by 2% from the previous year (from 84,697 to 86,257) but this is lower than the peak of 91,651 in 2013 to 2014.
• There were increases in the other 2 substance groups (a 1% increase in the non-opiate group and 4% in the non-opiate and alcohol group). This follows a rise last year of 7% for the non-opiate group and 11% for the non-opiate and alcohol group.
• After seeing a decline in the previous 2 years, there has been a rise in the overall number of adults entering treatment for crack cocaine. This rise includes people who are using crack with opiates (18,832 to 20,158) and those who are using crack without opiates (4,711 to 5,444).
• People starting treatment in 2022 to 2023 with powder cocaine problems increased by 10% (from 21,298 to 23,529). This surpasses the previous peak number of 21,396 in 2019 to 2020.
• New entrants to treatment with cannabis problems increased again this year, which saw a 2% rise (from 28,263 in 2021 to 2022 to 28,845 this year). New entrants with benzodiazepine problems fell 6% (from 3,848 in 2021 to 2022 to 3,620 this year), after increasing every year since 2018 to 2019 up until 2021 to 2022.
• Although the numbers are relatively low, there was an increase in adults entering treatment in 2022 to 2023 with ketamine problems (from 1,551 in 2021 to 2022 to 2,211 this year). This is part of a trend in rising numbers entering treatment over the last 9 years. The total is now over 5 times higher than it was in 2014 to 2015.