What is the fiscal and social cost of substance abuse to the indvidual

A new report by the research team at Private Rehab Clinic Delamere has revealed how much those with substance abuse disorders are spending on different types of drugs each year.

According to the research cocaine and MDMA will set problem users back the most each year, with those that consume one measurement a week spending £2,080, while those that consume as much as three measurements a week will spend a staggering £6,240.

For those that struggle with ketamine addiction, users can spend over £1,500 a year to fuel their habits, while ecstasy and heroin users will spend an alarming £780 and £520 respectively.

Though it is considered a more ‘casual drug’, frequent cannabis abusers will spend as much as £520 a year to maintain their addiction.

But it is not just the financial cost of addiction that can impact problem users, Dr Catherine Carney, psychiatrist at Delamere has explained how drug dependence can cost users relationships with their loved ones: “Desperation caused by people needing to consume drugs or alcohol can lead to them stealing from the ones they love the most, as well as lying to them and becoming generally impossible to trust. It is common that people with relatives that have suffered from addiction may choose to cut ties, in order to protect their own mental health. This decision can be the push that the individual needs to get help or the final straw that leads them to feel they have no incentive to get better.”