Thousands of Local Kids Across Yorkshire Admitted to Hospital for Drink and Drug Abuse
Public Health England has just revealed in their 2019 Child Health report that a concerning 1,155 children were admitted to hospitals across Yorkshire and the Humber because of alcohol abuse PLUS an additional 1,859 being admitted for substance misuse; over 3,000 in total.
The children admitted to hospital because of alcohol abuse were all under the age of 18, whilst those admitted for substance misuse were aged 15-24.
The report has pooled together hospital admissions data from the last three years.
It also reveals a link between alcohol-attributable hospital admissions in both males and females with teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections as well as a link between young people who use recreational drugs with suicide, depression and disruptive behavior disorders.
The worst offending area across Yorkshire and the Humber for drug misuse hospital admissions was Leeds; with 320 young people being admitted in the last three years.
As for alcohol, the worst area was again Leeds with 189 kids admitted, closely followed by Bradford with 175 under 18 year olds admitted into hospital.
The news comes at a time when leading private addiction treatment firm UKAT has announced a staggering 185% rise in the number of young addicts checking into rehab in the last 3 years.
In 2015, UKAT treated 93 patients aged 21 or under for substance based addictions, jumping dramatically to 266 in 2018.
Eytan Alexander, CEO of UKAT, believes that more pressure should be put on parents across Yorkshire to have open and honest conversations with their children;
“Prevention should be the priority in tackling the rise of drink and drug misuse amongst children in order to avoid the beast which is addiction developing in later life. It is imperative that parents living across Yorkshire address the topic of drugs and alcohol early on with their children. Be informed and be clear. Discuss the harmful effects of alcohol and drugs on the body as well as the legal consequences associated with them. Do this for them whilst they’re young and we could start to see these numbers lowering.”
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