AN increasing number of people in Wyndham are mixing alcohol with legal and illegal drugs, according to health experts.
Research released last week shows the number of drug and alcohol-related ambulance call outs in Wyndham jumped from 654 to 696 in 2010-11.
Alcohol topped the list of ambulance call outs with 142, prescription sleeping and anxiety medication benzodiazepine was second with 89, followed by antidepressants with 49.
There were slightly fewer heroin and cannabis emergencies compared to the previous year, with paramedics responding to 17 and 22 call outs respectively.
The statistics were revealed in a report compiled by Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre, a group that provides research to support changes to substance abuse policies.
Researcher Belinda Lloyd said a sharp rise in call outs linked with use of crystal meth was a major concern. “An increasing trend in the use of other drugs in combination with crystal methamphetamine also represents an increasing risk of serious harm,” Dr Lloyd said.
Ambulance Victoria chief executive Greg Sassella said paramedics had introduced new treatments in response to the increase of psychostimulants such as crystal meth.
“Any delay in calling an ambulance for any drug overdose can cost lives. Our role is to save lives, not make judgments,” he said.
Anglicare’s drug and alcohol service on Market Road in Werribee is running at capacity but needs more government funding to expand.
It provides court-ordered substance abuse counselling and a needle exchange to help reduce infections spreading among drug users.
Centre manager Spiro Drakopoulos said he was concerned overdoses were high in Wyndham.
“It’s certainly alarming in any municipality to see a rise in dangerous alcohol and drug use, and the figures make you wonder about the quality of drugs out there,” he said.
“The purity might be higher, or it could also reflect there might be newer users who aren’t as tolerant.”
Mr Drakopoulos estimated 60per cent of the service’s cases related to alcohol abuse, 20per cent to cannabis, and 20per cent to pills and different kinds of intravenous drugs.
