The number of young people being admitted to hospital for drug and alcohol misuse on the Isle of Wight is continuing to rise.
Public Health England revealed in its 2019 Child Health report over 4,000 kids living in the South East were being admitted to hospital for drink and drug abuse — the second highest regional rate reported.
Substance abuse on the rise
On the Isle of Wight, there were 52 admissions for alcohol abuse in 2018-19, up one since the previous report was released last year.
The number of admissions for substance abuse was 44 — up 13 since the previous report.
The report has pooled together hospital admissions data from the last three years.
The children admitted to hospital because of alcohol abuse were all under the age of 18, while those admitted for substance misuse were aged 15-24.
Be informed and be clear
Eytan Alexander, CEO of UKAT, a private addiction treatment centre, said more pressure should be put on parents across the South East to have open and honest conversations with their children.
Mr Alexander said:
“Prevention should be the priority in tackling the rise of drink and drug misuse amongst children to avoid the beast which is addiction developing in later life.
“It is imperative parents living across the South East 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 while they’re young and we could start to see these numbers lowering.”
In the last three years, UKAT has seen a 185 per cent rise in the number of young addicts checking in to rehab.
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which OnTheWight is taking part in. Some alterations and additions may be been made by OnTheWight. Ed
