Why has Scotland got such a huge drug problem?

Glasgow has had a problem with alcoholism for decades. Much of it stems from the work hard, play hard culture from the shipyards, where men would regular drink heavily after a hard day at work. Also poor living conditions, lack of opportunities and poverty have driven many people to drink. However, there are hundreds of thousands of Glaswegians who live perfectly healthy lives.

Grandmabatty

Scotland also has one of the highest incidents of multiple sclerosis too, which has been linked, in the past to lack of vitamin D. The highest rate is Orkney and Shetland. Nothing to do with drug addiction of course, but another link to environment

Yes I’ve heard that too in the northern hemispheres with lack of sunlight

Maremia

That new Ketamine menace is very disturbing.
The 'drug deaths' recorded might be about older victims, who have spent years trying to survive the damage, but, how do we, as a society, deal with this threat to the young?

We had 3 daughters my wife was very risk aware for them and committed to protecting them they were never allowed to be unsupervised by her or someone she personally trusted until they were 16. At the time they complained of the lack of freedom but they are exactly the same with their children a generation later.

Today many children have too much freedom, too many opportunities to make wrong decisions and cause lasting harm that affects their lives long term. The internet, social media and drug availability increase the risk. All my GC are being exposed to the risks but their parents are controlling that risk, as Im sure most other parents do.

That new Ketamine menace is very disturbing.
The 'drug deaths' recorded might be about older victims, who have spent years trying to survive the damage, but, how do we, as a society, deal with this threat to the young?

Would like to see a comparison, of drug deaths, with the other three Nations, using the same criteria and statistical analysis.
Probably beyond the many and varied capabilities of us GNs.

Or is it unconnected in either direction? There may be studies on this, as I imagine those studying drug abuse are aware of the mood-changing effects of low light/sunshine levels.

They are probably also studying:
- is drug dependency affected by other physical influences which feel better after a drink or a drug hit (various other hormones, mental health syndromes and so on) ?
- is it caused by a wish to forget conditions like poverty, exclusion, repeated redundancy and unemployment, ?
- is it a hedonistic desire for the sensations of being high ?
- is it a wish to be "in with the crowd" if all your friends are taking them. ?

I would be inclined to think it a mixture of two or more of these, plus other influences. If you can move away from a depressed area and find a rewarding occupation somewhere else, or raise your self-esteem by some other route, you have a better chance of resisting the lure of instant gratification at the cost of future addiction, If no-one is selling drugs in your area at a price you can afford, your reaction to any of these would probably be alcohol or religion

Or perhaps a life of crime to fund the habit - which makes you vulnerable to exploitation and danger, which adds a different set of problems.

Scotland also has one of the highest incidents of multiple sclerosis too, which has been linked, in the past to lack of vitamin D. The highest rate is Orkney and Shetland. Nothing to do with drug addiction of course, but another link to environment

Elegran

Probably not genetic then.

Comparisons to drug deaths in Scandinavian and other northern countries would be interesting, if anyone has them. The incidence of depression and SADS in those countries (and Scotland) compared with more southerly countries too

The article I linked to earlier posits a connection between the higher SAD incidence in Scotland (9%, compared to 5-6% in the UK as a whole) and the lower light/sunshine levels. More people being affected by SAD probably means more people feeling low, which could result in more people drinking more alcohol or taking more drugs in an attempt to spark up their lives a bit, and hence more people overdoing it and ending in an overdose.

I think someone said that deaths from other drugs (not just the recreational ones) are included in the statistics in Scotland, but not in England. That would increase the numbers.

Lack of Vitamin D has been linked to low mood and is more prevalent in people with substance use disorders. Is the deficiency caused by substance abuse or is it causal?

They used to call it "reading round the subject" and quite often solutions to problems have been found in the peripheral musings while someone was straying from the central question.

One aspect of drug-taking problems is the mood of the person concerned, Who knows, prescribing light therapy as a part of people trying to become free of drugs, using a bright, UV-free lamp to simulate natural sunlight and help relieve symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), might improve their moods enough to help them resist temptation? It could be done in parallel with other therapies.

One of the charms of GN posts is the opportunity for interesting diversions.
Posters who are not amused by this are under no obligation to join in.
Simply skip on by.

If anyone is interested in answering OP's question this link to a Scottish Affairs Committee suggests answers.

Problem drug use in Scotland - Scottish Affairs Committee - House of Commons share.google/5ViQnJ2zhOuKjCXih

Of course it's much less effort to discuss the weather and funny places names.

Sorry - I have strayed a little from Scottish drug deaths.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torpenhow_Hill

My favourite placename. If all the bits of it are translated from their original languages, it means Hilhillhill Hill

A list of place names which indicate where settlers came from.
www.eastbridgfordstpeters.co.uk/_site/data/files/migrated/newsletters--homework/place-names.pdf

And more of the same.
www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=place+names+in+the+UK+showing+evidence+of+the+settlersthere+from++different+areas

Maremia

Some folk in the Orkneys and Shetland have 'Viking' ancestry.
That's for those GNs who seek a genetic link between Scotland and Scandi countries.

An interesting study (with maps)
news.sky.com/story/where-do-we-come-from-britains-dna-map-10367199

Interesting point Elegran.
Wonder how the numbers would compare, if each country used the same method of analysis?

Some folk in the Orkneys and Shetland have 'Viking' ancestry.
That's for those GNs who seek a genetic link between Scotland and Scandi countries.

Probably not genetic then.

Comparisons to drug deaths in Scandinavian and other northern countries would be interesting, if anyone has them. The incidence of depression and SADS in those countries (and Scotland) compared with more southerly countries too

The article I linked to earlier posits a connection between the higher SAD incidence in Scotland (9%, compared to 5-6% in the UK as a whole) and the lower light/sunshine levels. More people being affected by SAD probably means more people feeling low, which could result in more people drinking more alcohol or taking more drugs in an attempt to spark up their lives a bit, and hence more people overdoing it and ending in an overdose.

I think someone said that deaths from other drugs (not just the recreational ones) are included in the statistics in Scotland, but not in England. That would increase the numbers.

Hufferlump

Elegran

It may be the weather, it may be genetic, but another factor could be that the further north you go, the less actual light arrives per year on the northern land surface than on more southerly parts. That light is less in quality as well as in quantity. Because of the curvature of the earth, each ray of light falling on Scotland has to travel a longer path through the atmosphere than the ones falling on Devon or Cornwall - the difference is even greater on the places between the two tropics, either side of the equator where their path is perpendicular, or nearly so.
People in Scandinavian countries have a reputation for heavy drinking - and also for depression. That and Scotland's drug-taking levels probably share similar causes why some of them need to bolster their jollity level with stimulants.
I have some maps/pics, but for some reason they won't load. I'll try again in ten minutes or so.

There was a lot of Scandinavian DNA brought to Scotland in the past. Maybe a genetic link?.

There is no known genetic link.

butterandjam

Hilda123

I'm not going to comment on why Scotland has a significant drug problem because, frankly, I don't know enough about it. But so many of the comments on here judging life in Scotland are so ignorant and ill-informed. We are not all living in a dark, miserable abyss of poverty and unemployment! Far from it! Generally we live in a much gentler, quieter, more respectful society, often in beautiful natural surroundings, but also benefitting from cultured and vibrant cities equal to any in the south of England. The weather is not the same as in the south of England but we have pleasant seasons too. I'm English but I moved my family here for what I consider to be a much better quality of life. Some Scottish people choose to move away but many people also choose to move here!

This last summer, while S England fried and dried up,
Scotland was pleasantly warm , drier than usual but not parched, the grass and trees are still green, farm crops, gardens and allotments thrived. There was no water shortage here.

If this becomes the new reality for UK climate, people in SE England may become desperate migrants escaping drought and misery..

SEPA produces weekly water scarcity reports and various areas in Scotland suffered water scarcity throughout this year. There were plenty of wild fires too due to the parched conditions. What this has to do with drug deaths fails me

Hilda123

I'm not going to comment on why Scotland has a significant drug problem because, frankly, I don't know enough about it. But so many of the comments on here judging life in Scotland are so ignorant and ill-informed. We are not all living in a dark, miserable abyss of poverty and unemployment! Far from it! Generally we live in a much gentler, quieter, more respectful society, often in beautiful natural surroundings, but also benefitting from cultured and vibrant cities equal to any in the south of England. The weather is not the same as in the south of England but we have pleasant seasons too. I'm English but I moved my family here for what I consider to be a much better quality of life. Some Scottish people choose to move away but many people also choose to move here!

This last summer, while S England fried and dried up,
Scotland was pleasantly warm , drier than usual but not parched, the grass and trees are still green, farm crops, gardens and allotments thrived. There was no water shortage here.

If this becomes the new reality for UK climate, people in SE England may become desperate migrants escaping drought and misery..

Hufferlump Yes, it could be a genetic element.

Basgetti

I think the further north we are, the longer the daylight hours are? Would that not mitigate different angles?

No, the summer days are longer the further north you go, but the winter days are shorter, due to the earth's axis (pole to pole) not being perpendicular to the sun's rays but tilted over.

butterandjam

Elegran

Sunshine duration average January

so, half an hour difference (daily) between Scotland and the south coast of Engl;and.

Half an hour's difference? I make it more than an hour's difference - in more than three hours. If you look at colours on that map of the UK, it shows less than 2 hours sunshine a day in parts of Scotland north of a line from Glasgow to Aberdeen, and more than three hours daily on the south coast of England, a difference of more than an hour, and less than two-thirds the amount that the Southrons are getting . Scotland has far fewer of the redder shades, and England and Wales have only a few patches of any of the greenish shades.That is the average of the length of sunshine on all the days of January and all the locations within Scotland. An average covers many individuals readings, and North of the Central Lowlands accounts for far lower ones than the southern half of the country. Wick averages about 1.6 hours of daily sunshine in January.

Of course there are more hours of daylight which do not have actual bright warm sunshine, but only 7 hours a day of that.

I can't find the article I wanted, which has graphs of the total energy contained in that sunshine at different latitudes, after its different lengths of journey through the atmosphere at different angles. So not only are the Scots getting shorter amounts of it, but that short ration is weaker, leading to SAD.

Light deprivation causes more SAD - Seasonal Affective Disorder. 9% of Scots suffer from it, a higher proportion than the English.
www.relationships-scotland.org.uk/blog/do-you-get-sad-when-the-seasons-change

Scotland has longer days in the summer and shorter days in the winter compared to England.