ABSTRACT
This chapter presents an understanding of the role of epidemiology in relation to substance use disorders. Use of psychoactive substances has been documented in a wide range of human societies and historical eras. The chapter considers non-medical approaches to helping young people with substance use disorders (SUD). Until 2014, the ‘Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use among Young People Survey’ collected information about the prevalence and frequency of illicit substance use among pupils in England, mostly aged between 11 and 15 years. Health outcomes related to SUD include: drug treatment measures; drug-related hospital admissions; and the number of drug-related deaths. Drug use and drug dependence are known causes of premature mortality, with drug poisoning accounting for 16 per cent of deaths among people in their twenties and thirties in 2016. In England, all substance misuse services that provide structured treatment for people who use drugs and/or alcohol are required to submit data to the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System.
