In 2015, the drug overdose related deaths actually hit a historic high - it was 3674 and over 2500 of them were from illegal drugs. The rest were 100 per cent legal.
The UK has a big problem with drugs compared to any other European country. It's three times greater than any other country in Europe! And we're not even the biggest country in the continent.
That's pretty bad.
Deaths from illegal substances are going up. Heroin deaths doubled, and overdosing from cocaine is also on the rise, as is MDMA poisoning.
But that's just from overdoses - there are other drug related deaths and hundreds of thousands are dying a year.
What are the drugs that kill the most people?
Cigarettes
Despite having had the smoking ban in buildings for a decade now and even though they're totally legal, it's cigarettes that are the most dangerous - they kill the most people a year in the UK. Over 114,000 people die from tobacco-related diseases a year, including cancer, respiratory diseases and heart disease. That's a hell of a lot of people dying from ciggies.
It's enough to make anyone cut out the fags.
Booze
Next is alcohol - it's a big killer in England and Wales, with up to 40,000 people a year dying because of booze. This includes people who suffer from cirrhosis of the liver, to fatal accidents while drunk - think drink driving - as well as the effects of long-term drinking.
Is it too late to start dry January?
Illegal Substances
Ecstasy only kills around 27 people a year - are you surprised?
Heroin on the other hand, kills around 700 people a year, and amphetamines kill 35 people a year.
Street methadone kills almost 300 people a year - that's a lot! Cocaine kills around 214 people a year.
It really makes you think about your booze and fags intake, doesn't it?
And who is most at risk?
Men between the ages of 30 and 39 are most at risk from drug-related deaths. And surprisingly men in Wales are more at risk than in England, although in England it's the north-east that has to worry.
Words Laura Hamilton
Featured Image Credit: PA ImagesTopics: Cocaine, Alcohol, Drugs