Sources & Citations

The evidence behind the statistics we publish

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We want every factual claim on this website — and in our press materials — to be checkable. This page lists the primary sources behind the statistics we publish. Figures were last verified in July 2026. If you believe any figure is out of date or incorrect, please tell us at [email protected] and we will review it.

The Twelve Steps and recovery history

  • Alcoholics Anonymous was founded on 10 June 1935 in Akron, Ohio. Bill Wilson drafted the Twelve Steps in December 1938, and Alcoholics Anonymous (the “Big Book”) — the first publication of the Steps — appeared in April 1939. — Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, historical archives.

Ketamine

  • Deaths involving ketamine have risen roughly twentyfold since 2014. Coroner-records study by King’s College London and the University of Hertfordshire, published July 2025. Most deaths involved ketamine alongside other drugs.
  • 299,000 people aged 16–59 reported using ketamine in the year ending March 2023 — the highest figure on record. — ONS, Crime Survey for England and Wales / Home Office.
  • 5,365 people started treatment for ketamine problems in 2024–25, against 426 in 2014–15 — a roughly twelvefold increase. — National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS), OHID.
  • Ketamine detected in wastewater rose by 85% (545mg to 1,008mg per 1,000 people per day) between early 2023 and early 2024. — Home Office Wastewater Analysis Programme.
  • Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Liverpool, opened the UK’s first NHS ketamine clinic for under-16s in May 2025, treating ketamine-induced uropathy. — Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust.
  • Children addicted to ketamine as young as 12, and dealing as young as 13. — Cheshire Constabulary, reported June 2025.
  • Ketamine remains a Class B drug. The Home Office asked the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs to review classification in January 2025; the ACMD advised in January 2026 that ketamine should remain Class B. — ACMD.
  • Bladder damage (ketamine cystitis), 30–50 urinations a day, bladder capacity falling from ~400ml to ~50ml, and surgical removal in severe cases. — Shahani R et al., “Ketamine-associated ulcerative cystitis: a new clinical entity”, Urology (2007); British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS) consensus statement on ketamine uropathy, 2024, led by Mr Mohammed Belal. — BAUS.

Cocaine

  • Powder cocaine accounted for 20% of new treatment entrants in 2024–25 — the highest proportion since reporting began. — NDTMS, OHID.
  • 1,279 deaths involving cocaine were registered in 2024, up 14.4% on 2023 and the thirteenth consecutive annual rise. — ONS, deaths related to drug poisoning.
  • Cocaine is the second most-used illegal drug: 2.1% of 16–59-year-olds (roughly 700,000 people) reported powder cocaine use in the year ending March 2025, behind cannabis at 6.5% (England and Wales). — ONS, Crime Survey for England and Wales.
  • The UK domestic cocaine market is estimated at around £4bn a year. — National Crime Agency (2024).
  • The average age of patients suffering cocaine-associated heart attacks was 44 in the landmark triggering study. — Mittleman MA et al., “Triggering of myocardial infarction by cocaine”, Circulation (1999).
  • Up to 68% of regular users report intense paranoia. — Satel SL et al., study of cocaine-dependent patients reporting transient paranoia (1991); meta-analyses place cocaine-induced psychotic symptoms at around 50–56% of dependent users.
  • Street prices have fallen from around £100/g to as little as £30–50/g, at record purity. — DrugWise; European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) price and purity data.

Young people

Families and children

  • An estimated 478,000 children in England live with an alcohol- or drug-dependent parent. — Children’s Commissioner for England estimate (2019–20), used in the government’s Children of Alcohol Dependent Parents (CADeP) evaluation.
  • The NSPCC Helpline received 11,527 contacts about parental substance use in 2023/24 — around 31 every day. — NSPCC with Nacoa, February 2025.
  • Childline delivered 4,403 counselling sessions about parental substance use in a year. — NSPCC/Childline.
  • 72,410 children in need had parental alcohol misuse recorded as a factor in their assessment (2023/24). — Department for Education, Children in Need data, via the NSPCC.
  • Parental substance misuse features in up to two-thirds of care proceedings. — Family Drug and Alcohol Court (FDAC) evaluation, Nuffield Foundation.

Corrections

Statistics date quickly. We verify this page against the sources above periodically, and we would rather correct a figure than defend it. Journalists and researchers can request full citations, including specific publication editions and URLs, from [email protected].

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