WALTHAM FOREST: Drug and alcohol abuse up in under-25s

4:14pm Wednesday 20th August 2008

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ABUSE of drugs and alcohol is on the increase among young people in the borough, figures reveal.

The number of under-25s admitted to Whipps Cross Hospital for drug overdoses and substance abuse-related illnesses rose from 411 in 2006/7 to 477 in 2007/8 - a 16 per cent increase.

Many of these were under the age of 18, with 275 being admitted for drug abuse in 2007/8, up from 217 in 2006/7.

And although fewer under-18s were taken in for alcohol poisoning and drink-related problems in the same period, dropping from 79 to 63, there was an increase in under-25s admitted, rising from 155 to 163.

The news comes as figures were released nationwide which actually showed a dip in under-16s admitted to hospital for drug-related problems in Waltham Forest.

But people in their late teens and early 20s in the area are increasingly putting themselves at risk of long-term health problems by consuming excessive amounts of drugs and alcohol, including low fertility, brain damage and cancer.