How does drug abuse impact
real people in Scotland?

The Scottish Affairs committee wanted to explore problem drug use in Scotland, and understand the impact it has on people who use drugs and their families. So we asked real people to tell us their stories  

We spoke to Hannah, Colin, Sharon, Scott, Sandra, Colin and Rosie about their experiences of problem drug use, how it has impacted their lives, how they coped and what needs to change to reduce the levels  of problem drug use  in Scotland.  

Their stories were so compelling, we wanted to share them with you. 

Hannah is 26, and from Aberdeen. She told us she was surrounded by drug use from around the age of 13 and started taking drugs to fit in and to help her 'feel part of something'.  

She found for the following 13 years her life began to revolve around drug use until she became reliant on heroin. Hannah went on to experience homelessness and went to prison.

She has now been in recovery for nearly 2 years.

Colin is 46 and started using substances from around 10 or 11 years old. He first tried heroin to help with a an alcohol problem. He was drinking alcohol as a coping method for the challenges of living in an area with high levels of deprivation and unemployment. Before he knew it, he had developed a dependency on heroin.  

His addiction put a considerable strain on his relationships with family and friends, and he knew he needed support to enter recovery, but struggled to know where to turn for help. 

Sharon is 41 years old and is from Dundee. Sharon started drinking alcohol from a young age and experimented with cocaine and amphetamines recreationally during her teenage years. She hadn't used drugs since then, but after several major upheavals and bereavements in her life, and meeting a partner who was reliant on heroin, she started taking drugs again.  

She told us her biggest issue was that she wasn't functioning as a mum and she had always been a good mother before her drug use. She reached out for help from social workers but felt let down by them when they removed her children.  

Sharon used heroin for 7 years, before getting into treatment. She is now in recovery, and working in Dundee to support recovery communities, and campaigns for better support for those who have had similar experiences to her own.  

Scott is 45 years old, and is from Stirling. He had been experimenting with progressively harder drugs from 12 or 13 years old. This negatively impacted his school and community life, and he eventually entered a children’s home. He says family were eagerly trying to help him enter recovery, but he wasn't ready for the support. 

After losing several family members, Scott was in the right mindset to enter recovery. He talked to us about the unique approach of a support worker using a personalised care plan which made his recovery journey more achievable.  

Scott says that if people were dying at the same rate from any other disease, it would be considered a health epidemic.  

Sandra is a mother, and says she was very naïve when daughter started taking drugs, as she’d never taken or seen drugs herself. She couldn't understand some of her daughter’s life choices, and it wasn't until it was too late that she find out what was happening. 

The Government must now respond to our report

Our report 'Problem drug use in Scotland' was published on 4th November 2019.

Detailed information from our inquiry can be found on our website.

If you’re interested in our work, you can find our more on the House of Commons Scottish Affairs Committee website. You can also follow our work on Twitter.

The Scottish Affairs Committee is a cross-party committee of MPs that scrutinises the expenditure, administration and policies of the Scotland Office, and its associated bodies. The Committee also examines the wider UK Government, to assess policies and legislation that lead to direct impacts on Scotland.