The team and Board at Scottish Recovery Consortium (SRC) are devastated by the latest figures published by National Records of Scotland, which show that 1,133 people lost their lives due to preventable drug-related deaths in Scotland during 2025. This represents an increase of 11% from 2024 and serves as a stark reminder that the drug deaths crisis continues to devastate individuals, families and communities across the country. These are people who are part of our communities, our friends and our families.
Behind every statistic is a person, a family and a community experiencing profound loss. The increase seen in 2025 demonstrates that progress remains fragile and that sustained action is urgently needed.
The figures also highlight several concerning trends. Men continue to be disproportionately affected, with the latest increase driven largely by a rise in male deaths. The continuing impact on people aged 35 to 54 reflects the ageing cohort of individuals experiencing long-term drug harm and complex needs. The persistence of significant inequalities is particularly troubling, with people living in Scotland’s most deprived communities experiencing drug death rates fifteen times higher than those in the least deprived areas.
The emergence of nitazenes in more than one in five drug-related deaths and the continued rise in cocaine-related deaths underline the changing and increasingly dangerous drug landscape facing Scotland. These developments reinforce the need for flexible, evidence-informed responses that can adapt to emerging risks while maintaining a strong focus on prevention, harm reduction, treatment and recovery. At the heart of any effective response must be the recognition that people are individuals and require different forms of support at different points in their lives. Ensuring people have choice, dignity and control over their recovery journey is critical. This means providing access to a range of options, from harm reduction and treatment services through to recovery communities, peer support, housing, employability and wider wellbeing opportunities. A system that offers genuine choice is more likely to engage people, respond to changing needs and support sustainable recovery outcomes.
SRC remains clear that addressing drug-related deaths requires more than increasing access to treatment alone. Treatment is essential, but it must be accompanied by sustained investment in recovery, housing, mental health support, family support, employability, community connection and long-term recovery pathways. Recovery is not simply about surviving; it is about enabling people to rebuild meaningful, fulfilling lives within their communities.
Across Scotland, recovery communities, families and lived experience-led organisations are delivering vital work every day to support people affected by alcohol and drug use. From peer support, recovery cafés and mutual aid groups to advocacy, family support, community outreach and recovery housing, these organisations provide hope, connection and practical support to thousands of people each year.
Many of these initiatives are rooted within local communities and are often the first place people turn to when seeking support, connection or a pathway into recovery. They play a critical role in reducing isolation, strengthening social networks, supporting long-term recovery and creating opportunities for people to rebuild meaningful lives. The growth and development of lived experience recovery organisations across Scotland also demonstrates the value of investing in approaches designed, delivered, and led by people with direct experience of recovery.
SRC believes there is a need to move beyond viewing communities simply as recipients of services and instead recognise them as essential public health assets. Communities possess strengths, knowledge, relationships and resources that contribute significantly to improving health and wellbeing outcomes. Recovery communities in particular create environments where recovery can be seen, celebrated and sustained, helping individuals develop a sense of belonging, purpose, identity and citizenship.
Recovery is not achieved through treatment alone. Sustained recovery is supported through positive relationships, participation, community connection, peer support, housing, employment, education and opportunities to contribute. Recovery communities and lived experience organisations provide much of this infrastructure, often with limited resources but significant impact.
As Scotland responds to the continuing challenge of drug-related deaths, it is essential that communities and lived experience organisations are recognised as equal partners within the public health response. Investment in treatment and harm reduction must be matched by continued investment in community recovery, peer-led initiatives and lived experience leadership if we are to create a balanced system that supports people not only to survive, but to build and sustain recovery over the long term.
SRC will continue to advocate for recovery communities and lived experience organisations to be recognised, valued and invested in as key components of Scotland’s public health approach, ensuring that the voices, expertise and strengths of communities remain at the heart of the national response to drug-related harm.
The figures remind us of the scale of Scotland’s drug-related deaths crisis. Across Scotland, thousands of people are actively building and sustaining recovery, supporting one another, reconnecting with their families, contributing to their communities and leading meaningful lives.
SRC believes that lived and living experience must remain central to Scotland’s response. People in recovery, families and communities affected by substance use bring vital insight into what works, where gaps remain and how services can better support individuals at every stage of their recovery journey.
As Scotland continues its efforts to reduce drug-related deaths, SRC calls for:
- Continued investment in recovery communities and recovery support services.
- Greater recognition of recovery as a key component of the national response.
- Increased support for families affected by drug and alcohol harm and bereavement.
- Stronger action on the inequalities linked to drug- and alcohol-related harm.
- Meaningful involvement of people with lived and living experience in policy, commissioning and service design.
- A long-term commitment to recovery-oriented approaches that support people beyond treatment.
Every preventable death is one too many. Scotland has the evidence, the expertise and the lived experience required to make a difference.
SRC would like to recognise and thank the recovery communities, families, volunteers, peers and lived experience organisations across Scotland who work tirelessly every day to support individuals affected by alcohol and drug use. Often working quietly within local communities, they provide hope, connection, compassion and practical support to people at some of the most difficult points in their lives.
Their contribution extends far beyond service delivery. They help reduce isolation, strengthen recovery, support families, create opportunities for positive change and foster a sense of belonging for those who may otherwise feel disconnected from their communities. While the challenges highlighted within the latest drug-related death figures remain significant, SRC firmly believes that without the dedication, commitment and perseverance of these communities and organisations, the number of lives lost would be even greater.
We thank everyone who continues to stand alongside people affected by drug and alcohol harm across Scotland, offering support, understanding and hope. Their contribution is a vital part of Scotland’s response to drug-related harm and an essential component of building healthier, stronger and more recovery-focused communities.
