Hospitalisations for cocaine abuse among the elderly are at an all-time high in the UK.
Typically associated with abuse amongst younger generations, the class A drug is increasingly responsible for damaging the mental and physical health of older people.
According to NHS statistics, 517 people over 60 were admitted to hospital last year due to cocaine-related mental and behavioural problems.
The number is up 25 percent from 2020 and double what it was five years ago.
Since the pandemic, the number of admitted patients of all ages has actually fallen. In 2015, 15,060 patients were admitted to hospital, compared to a figure of 12,470 in 2021, during the pandemic.
Eight people in their 90s and 15 people in their 80s were admitted to hospital because of coke last year, according to NHS England data.
In order to overcome their addictions to the drug, many elderly people seek treatment on the NHS. According to the latest statistics, 336 people aged 60 or older are in treatment for their cocaine addiction – an increase of more than 50 percent from 219 five years ago.
3.6 million people in England and Wales have tried cocaine at some point in their lives, according to official estimates After cannabis, cocaine is the most commonly used illegal drug in the country with 987,000 users in the UK last year.
The potency of cocaine available in the past few years might be unfamiliar to cocaine users in their 60s, 70s, and 80s. They have become more susceptible to drug-related mental health issues as a result.
Photo by Matt Bennett on Unsplash
Zoom Testing is a leading UK drug testing company and a supplier of Drug Test Kits.
