The Social Impact of Solvent Abuse December 2017 Image credit: The Dream Door is Too Small Carla Ross Senior Researcher, BWB Advisory & Impact 020 7551 7862
[email protected] Louise Barker Analyst, BWB Advisory & Impact 020 7551 7728
[email protected] Contents Executive summary 2 Introduction 10 Background on Re-Solv 12 Section 1: How people fall into solvent abuse 13 Section 2: Social & financial costs of solvent abuse 33 Profile 1: Young & experimental users 41 Profile 2: Young & regular users 44 Profile 3: Adult & high functioning users 47 Profile 4: Unstable lives 50 Profile 5: Chronic solvent users 54 Profile 6: Chronic poly-drug users 58 Cost to Government Services 61 Sensitivity Test 68 Section 3: Themes & recommendations for reducing the impact of solvent abuse 71 Appendices 83 Appendix A: Methodology 84 Appendix B: Sensitivity Test Explanation 86 Appendix C: Re-Solv’s Theory of Change 92 The images used in this report This report is illustrated with artwork entered into the Koestler Trust’s annual award scheme. The images were created by people in prison, on probation, and in other secure settings. The Koestler Trust is the UK’s best-known prison arts charity. It encourages prisoners to change their lives through taking part in the arts, and aims to challenge negative preconceptions of what those in prison are capable of achieving. Many of the artworks show how it feels to live with the problems frequently raised in this research, such as poor mental health, the impact of substance use, and the experience of imprisonment. The images bring to life raw experiences that can get lost and become more sanitised in reports such as this one.