Drug & alcohol usage amongst young people: August 2021
New research from The Mix and You Gov shows 1 in 5 of substance users are taking drugs to help them cope with poor mental health
The Mix has worked with YouGov on a brand-new survey of over 2,000 16-25 year olds across the UK, which shows that over 1 in 5 (22.1%) 16 to 25 year olds have taken an illegal drug in the last year; this equates to around 1.8 million people. 1 in 5 young substance users are taking drugs or other substances to cope with their mental health.
When it comes to Class A drugs, over 1 in 10 (10.8%) young people The Mix surveyed had used them in the past year, which equates to over 855,000 young people; this is far higher than the official government statistics suggest (7.4%).
Yet almost half (46%) disagree that there is enough support available to help young people with concerns about drug or alcohol use. The Mix is releasing this data in order to raise awareness of this issue and to call for improvements in support as socialising and partying becomes part of young people’s lives again.
To find out more, read our white paper: https://cdn.themix.org.uk/uploads/2021/09/Drink-drugs-report-2021.pdf