Drug Misuse Statistics Scotland 2007 - Drug Misuse Information ...

Scottish Drug Misuse Database
Additional points
Demographic profile
This section describes the demographic profile of ‘new’ individuals attending services.
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The male: female attendance ratio in 2006/07 was 2:1. There was variation between age groups with the
male: female ratio for those aged under 20 years close to 2:1 and for those aged 35-39 years old at 3:1
(Tables B1.2 and B1.3).
The median age of male clients reported to the SDMD was 30 years, whilst the median age of female
clients reported was 28 years (Tables B1.1, B1.2, and B1.3).
Half of clients reported to the SDMD in 2006/07 were aged 30 years or over (Tables B1.1 and B1.4).
Almost all (96%) of the individuals reported to the SDMD in 2006/07 described their ethnicity as ‘white
Scottish’ (Table B1.5).
Social profile
The personal circumstances of the drug user seeking treatment or advice from services can influence the individual’s
motivation for seeking help and the extent to which the service can contribute to a change in drug taking behaviour.
Information on employment status, current living arrangements and accommodation, source of funding and average
amount spent on their drug use, and the individual’s current legal status are potentially relevant factors and are
collected by the SDMD.
■ Two thirds (67%) of individuals in 2006/07 were unemployed, 14% of individuals were in paid or unpaid
employment (including full time education and training), and 5% had never been employed (Table
B1.33).
■ Two thirds (67%) of individuals said that their drug use was funded by benefits, 27% reported that they
funded their drug use with crime, and 18% reported that their drug use was funded by debt (Table
B1.34).
■ The average daily spend, in a ‘typical’ drug using day, for individuals who reported using heroin, was £34
(Table B1.36).
■ For individuals using cocaine, the average daily spend, in a ‘typical’ drug using day, was reported as £87
(Table B1.37).
■ Almost four fifths (79%) of individuals (who provided information) reported that they lived in owned or
rented accommodation at the time of presentation, 14% reported that they were living in temporary or
unstable accommodation and 2% reported that they were roofless (Table B1.40).
■ A fifth (22%) of individuals had previously been in prison (Table B1.42).
■ A third (31%) of individuals reported that they had dependent children under the age of 16 years (Table
B1.39).
Services & Treatment
Clients’ sources of referral and co-occurring health issues
This section includes information on the main source of referral and reports issues that have led patients/clients to
attend the service for their drug misuse problem.
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A third (31%) of individuals in 2006/07 self-referred to services. A further 27% were referred by a general
practitioner (Table B1.6).
Fifty-five per cent of individuals reported that drug-related physical health issues had led them to present
to a service, in addition to their drug use. Forty-two per cent reported mental health problems as a cooccurring
health issue, and 23% reported alcohol problems as a co-occurring health issue (Table B1.7).
Drug Misuse Statistics Scotland 2007
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