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About substance abuse 

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Research by The Forward Trust revealed that 45% of UK adults aged 18-75, which represents around 22 million people, have either directly experienced addiction themselves with a dependency to alcohol, drugs, medication, gambling or sex themselves, or know someone close to them that has.

 

Yet the research also found that the stigma that surrounds addiction is stopping or making it difficult for half of those experiencing their own or other people’s addictions from speaking out, with negative judgement (46%) and shame (39%) ruled as top concerns.

While there are large gaps in the research evidence base around illicit drug use in university students in the UK and Ireland, limited evidence from a scientific study suggests that more students are coming into contact with illicit drugs and many are experiencing harms.

A national survey of 2810 students in the UK in 2018 reported that 56% of respondents had used drugs, and 39% were using them at the time.

Safe Course believes that while drug use is widespread across UK campuses, the topic remains a taboo among universities, leading to parts of the student body developing a drug habit and unable to seek help for fear of reprisal, as well as out of shame and fear of judgment, and being unable to find the right resources to help them.

Many students are also unaware of the warning signs and possible consequences of drug use and substance abuse, which is made worse by the fact that nobody is talking about these.

It is therefore Safe Course’s view that universities need to create a culture of openly raising awareness about drug use and the risks associated with it without bias, a system for identifying risk of addiction and drug abuse at an early stage, and encourage students to look out for each other.

We also believe that universities across the UK must create policies which support students struggling with drugs without them facing disciplinary action.

The taboo around drugs has only encouraged a culture of turning a blind eye to these issues until an accident, at times fatal, happens. But discussing those issues is key in changing long-term attitudes to drug use, and in seeking help

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