Figures from 2023, published online by the Forrester website give an interesting insight into the usage of drugs and alcohol within the county drawn from figures collated in 2021. 

 

They identified that 32,400 residents of the county reported drug use in 2021: That equates to 9.4% of the population. 7.8% were cannabis users. The report, which was commissioned by Gloucestershire Council identified that the age group reporting the highest drug use was the 16-24 cohort. 

 

Of the 16-24 year old group, over 215 reported using illegal drugs during 2021. This equates to 0.7% of the adult population of the county. This means that for every thousand people in the county, 7.33 were using crack and or heroin. Reassuringly, this is lower than the average for England (8.85 per thousand) and the South West (8.32 per thousand).  It is estimated that there were, in 2021, 2,849 users of heroin and crack in the county. 

 

In England, during 2021, there was an average of 46.1% of crack and heroin users in treatment within England. The average, within the county, was higher at 48.9%. For those who identified opioid dependency, the rate was 53.6% which is higher than the average for England a 52.9%.  With reference to alcohol, during 2021, there was an estimated 5,509 people experiencing dependency on alcohol in the county: This is in line with the average for England. However, the mortality rate for alcohol in the county was lower during 2017-2019 at 7.3 per 100,000 rather than the average for England at 10.9%. In the county this translates to 140 alcohol related deaths in the three year period. 
 

  

The services operates out of a county wide hub which is located

at: 

 

41-43 Imperial Chambers
Longsmith Street
Gloucester GL1 2HT

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Phone number: 01452 223 014

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Email: gloucestershire.info@cgl.org.uk

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Web: www.changegrowlive.org/drug-alcohol-recovery-service-gloucestershire/cheltenham

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Residential treatment is available, locally, in the county. It may be more cost effective to receive     treatment  outside of the county: Call Paul to discuss. Both private therapy and outpatients are available locally. 

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