The impact of the cost of living crisis on drug and alcohol treatment and recovery

This briefing explores the impact of the cost of living crisis on people who want to change the way they use drugs and alcohol and on the voluntary sector services that support them.

Based on information from drug and alcohol treatment and recovery charities and the people they support, collected over the last couple of years, the briefing highlights how drug and alcohol treatment and recovery services are responding to more urgent and complex needs amongst the people they support against a backdrop of increased overheads and a workforce under greater pressure than ever.

As we approach the final year of the initial 3 year funding announced alongside the government’s 10 year Drugs Plan it is essential that the challenging and complex context, in which the first three years of the plans implementation has been delivered, is recognised.

To meet the Drug Strategy’s ambition of a world class treatment and recovery system the sector needs to be able to adequately plan and rebuild capacity and quality, as well as respond to new emerging challenges and changes in service user need as they arise. This is impossible when the sector is facing a cliff edge in funding beyond 2024/2025. Both the Public Accounts Committee, Home Affairs Committee and National Audit Office have made recommendations that government should provide greater certainty over future funding for the whole lifespan of the strategy.

The impact of the cost of living crisis highlighted in this briefing further emphasises the need for long term and sustainable funding for drug and alcohol treatment and recovery services.