Clackmannanshire has a higher prevalence of illicit drug use which is higher than the national prevalence.

Men are more likely than women to use drugs problematically.

All Forth Valley areas have lower than Scotland hospital admissions related to drug use.

Within Forth Valley, Stirling drug users are most likely to be admitted to a hospital.

High levels of alcohol consumption have been linked with many harmful consequences for both the individual and the wider community.

Since 1995, the UK Government has produced ‘sensible drinking’ guidelines, setting weekly amounts based on units of alcohol. The recommended weekly limit has been 21 units for men and 14 units for women. This was revised by the Chief Medical Officers of the UK in January 2016 to take account of factors such as the associated risks between alcohol consumption and cancers. The new guidance suggests a low risk level of 14 units for men and women.

Data on alcohol consumption for the NHS Forth Valley area suggest that the average weekly alcohol consumption level for males is higher than both the current recommended weekly amount and those seen in Scotland as a whole. The average weekly alcohol consumption levels for females in the Forth Valley area is lower than the weekly-recommended amount and but represents one of the highest in Scotland.

• In 2013-16, 30% of adults in Forth Valley are hazardous drinkers.

40 people died in Forth Valley because of alcohol in 2017.

Falkirk and Clackmannanshire have the highest alcohol deaths per 100,000 people in Forth Valley.

Since 2011, Falkirk has had the highest number of alcohol-related deaths.

All Forth Valley areas have lower than the Scottish average for alcohol related hospital admissions (2016/17).

In Scotland and Forth Valley, alcohol-related deaths are more common amongst men than women.

Forth Valley alcohol interventions and recovery services have a very good performance.

For instance, we delivered more Alcohol Brief Interventions within our population than Scotland, and our local services achieve excellent waiting times in line with the national targets.

At the end of the last published quarter (April – June 18), 99% of individuals referred to Forth Valley services were seen within 3 weeks. 100% were seen within 5 weeks.