Substance use

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What is substance use?

Substance use is an umbrella term that refers to the use of drugs and or alcohol use, including:

physical dependence
psychological dependence
recreational use

Substance use is the preferred terminology rather than 'substance misuse' or 'substance abuse' to help reduce stigma and negative bias when discussing addiction. This is based on feedback from industry professionals and people with lived experience.

Professor Dame Carol Black Review - Effective Treatment and Recovery Systems

Professor Dame Carol Black completed a 2-phase review in 2021 called Substance Use Treatment and Recovery Systems. The review states that there are 5 elements needed to be in place for individuals to have the greatest chance of achieving recovery from addiction, and to reduce the risk of negative health and social outcomes.

'From Harm to Hope' - 10 Year National Drug Strategy to cut crime and save lives

The UK government published the national strategy in 2021 following the two-phase Professor Dame Carol Black Review and Autumn spending review. The strategy aims to:

break drug supply chains
deliver a world class treatment and recovery system
achieve a generational shift in demand for drugs

'World Class Treatment and Recovery System' targets and ambitions

The targets and ambitions are:

20% increase of people in treatment for substance use
improved quality of services - reduced caseloads, trauma informed care, integrated care, improved capacity, workforce development, recovery and harm reduction activities
Continuity of Care - 75% of prison leavers accessing community treatment within 3 weeks of leaving
more people accessing residential rehabilitation
increased professional staff mix - mental health, psychology, social workers, and nursing staff
reduced drug and alcohol related deaths

Substance Use Quality Commissioning Standards

In 2022, the UK government published new Quality Commissioning Standards (QCS) for Substance Use Treatment and Recovery Services. The standards aim to guide processes, partnerships and systems for effective commissioning and delivery of drug and alcohol treatment services.

This includes 65 quality statements, split across 11 standards, which are grouped into the following 4 key themes: