Nearly 4,000 people accessed substance misuse services
Date published:
New official statistics published by NISRA statisticians in the Department of Health present data from the Northern Ireland Substance Misuse Database for the 2024/25 financial year.
Key findings
- A total of 3,889 clients presented to services for problem substance misuse during 2024/25.
- Around two-fifths (38%, 1,476 clients) presented for alcohol misuse only, one-third (33.4%, 1,299 clients) for drug misuse only, and 28.6% (1,114 clients) for both drug and alcohol misuse.
- The majority of clients were male (67.8% compared with 32.2% female) though the proportion of female clients was higher among those presenting for alcohol misuse only (40.5%).
- Over two-fifths of clients presenting for drug misuse only (45.3%) and drug and alcohol misuse (43.0%) were aged 26-39 years. Clients presenting for alcohol misuse only tended to be older, with nearly three-quarters (72.8%) aged 40 years and over.
- Cannabis (49.4%) and cocaine (48.8%) were the most commonly reported drugs among clients presenting for drug misuse followed by Pregabalin (13.5%) and Benzodiazepines (11.7%).
- Nearly three-fifths of clients presenting for drug misuse (58.0%) reported daily drug use, while around half of those presenting for alcohol misuse (51.1%) reported daily alcohol consumption.
About the publication
This report presents findings on people presenting to services with problem drug and/or alcohol misuse for the first time, or the first time in six months. This report relates to the 12-month period ending 31st March 2025. It should be noted that records for those accessing services within HM Prisons are not included in this report due to ongoing changes in service delivery.
The statistics in this report are Official statistics in development (previously called Experimental statistics); these are statistics that are published
in order to involve users and stakeholders in their development and as a means to improve quality. Further detail can be found in the notes at the end of the report.
Further information
View full report, data tables and background information: Statistics from the Northern Ireland substance misuse database 2024/25