A group of young people trying to tackle our generation's problems
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We are a team of students investigating the root causes for recreational benzodiazepine use among people aged 18-25.
We wish to create a space for those affected to vocalise their experiences (both positive and negative), to evaluate NGO outreach, and the role that education plays. The recreational use of benzodiazepines is prevalent among young people across the UK. |
Our main objective?
To understand and evaluate the lived experiences and motivations for non-medical use of benzodiazepines in the UK's young adult population. The research sector typically struggles to recruit participants of this age and on this topic, and so our platform seeks to meet that need. We hope that these testimonies will provide evidence for policy reforms, and to generate ideas as to how best to support young people. Share your story with us here. |
"The cancellation of GCSE and A-Level exams, as well as increased unemployment and housing prices has led to feelings of hopelessness and uncertainty, leading to a concerning rise in BZD consumption." – BHSCP
What are benzos?Benzodiazepines (benzos) are a class of depressant psychoactive drugs prescribed for use as anxiolytics, sleep aids and anticonvulsants. NICE guidelines indicate benzos should only be prescribed for short-term relief (two to four weeks only) of severe anxiety and insomnia due to their addiction potential and the life-threatening withdrawal symptoms that arise upon long-term treatment cessation.
Non-medical use (NMU) – defined as: “using a medication without a doctor's prescription or for any reason other than what was recommended by their doctor” – of BZDs is also on the rise in the UK and 16% of drug deaths in 2021 were benzodiazepine-related. This includes street and counterfeit benzos which are a form of benzos, often created locally and with unpredictable strengths due to the lack of regulation. Share your story with us here.
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Why are they an emerging issue?Benzo consumption – especially of street benzos, and benzos used in high doses – can lead to memory loss and lasting cognitive impairment, encourages risk-associated behaviours, and a return to insomnia.
Estimates from a survey conducted by The Bridge Project suggests that over 250,000 patients are being prescribed benzos far beyond the recommended treatment duration, presenting a serious public health problem in the UK. Between 2016-17, the number of people under the age of 18 accessing substance misuse services in the UK doubled – a trend which has only grown since COVID-19 pandemic. Although our research will focus on the non-medical use of benzos, it is important to note that 29.3% of those having taken benzos under appropriate instruction have also misused the same drug; the majority of illicit benzos which were diverted from legitimate sources. |
The pandemic proliferated an already worrying trend of increased consumption of benzo, with the UK being no exception. The cancellation of GCSE and A-Level exams, as well as increased unemployment and housing prices has led to feelings of hopelessness and uncertainty, perhaps leading to the rise in benzo consumption.
From early 2020, there was a surge in use of fake anti-anxiety drugs being distributed in Brighton which led to increased hospitalisation, as well as across the UK. Street or 'counterfeit' benzos continue to be a looming problem in the city among young people, with a surge in benzo-related deaths during the COVID pandemic, hence our analytical focus on this age group. It presents a need to re-evaluate current strategies of tackling benzo addiction to include context-based methods of harm reduction, increase educational opportunities, and further encourage NGO outreach strategy development. Currently, there is no literature that tackles these three elements; our project aimed to address this gap. |
"We hope our findings will spark conversation around the growing consumption rates across the UK, and demonstrate a demand for reformed, supportive policies." – Monica Richards, Project Lead
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What is the purpose of this project?
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Photo by Concordia 2, Brighton
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"There is a need to re-evaluate current strategies of tackling benzo addiction to include context-based methods of harm reduction, increase educational opportunities, and further encourage NGO outreach strategy development." – AJ Martin, Co-Head of Research
Photo by CHALK, Brighton
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What's our methodology?
We sought to: ↳ Collect testimonies from young people (ages 18–25) across the UK who use benzos non-medically ↳ Ensure anonymity of participants, and handle data security in line with GDPR regulations ↳ Conduct an inductive thematic analysis to understand the lived experiences of participants, and write a report to share these findings with key stakeholders and the general public ↳ Prescribe policy recommendations. These will be applicable to higher and further educational institutions, local and national government, NGOs, and relevant stakeholders. More on this, and what we found, can be read in our report 'The Benzo Research Project: An evaluation of non-medical benzodiazepine usage in UK young people (18-25)'. |
