One-third of clients receiving publicly funded alcohol and other
drug treatment services check themselves in for treatment,
according to a report published today by the Australian Institute
of Health and Welfare.
Data in Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Services in Australia
2000-01 show that self-referral was the single most common method
of entry to these services. Referrals from other service providers
and community-based corrections were also common.
The report, which covers over 83,000 client registrations in all
States and Territories except Queensland, focuses on clients using
publicly funded treatment services and the types of drug problem
for which treatment was sought.
Nearly two-thirds of clients were men, and most clients (62%)
were aged between 20 and 39 years of age.
In cases where a person such as a spouse, partner or parent
sought assistance on behalf of someone else, the person seeking the
assistance was most likely to be a woman (two-thirds of cases).
Among the 77,000 clients receiving treatment for their own drug
use, alcohol was the principal drug of concern (34% of clients).
Heroin was the next most common drug of concern (28%) followed by
cannabis (14%) and amphetamines (9%).
Among the Indigenous clients of these services, nearly half
nominated alcohol as their principal drug of concern compared to
one-third of the non-Indigenous clients. For heroin, the situation
was reversed, at 19% of Indigenous clients compared with 30% of
non-Indigenous clients.
Report co-author Gail Weaving also noted that the drug of
concern varied considerably with age:
'We found that clients seeking treatment for their own heroin
and cannabis use tended to be mostly in the younger age groups,
while the proportion of those seeking treatment for problems with
alcohol tended to increase with age.
'For example in the 10-19 age group (98% of whom were in fact
aged 15-19), 31% of clients were seeking treatment for problems
with heroin, 30% for problems with cannabis and 15% for problems
with alcohol.
'In the 50-59 age group the respective proportions were 5% for
heroin, 3% for cannabis and 78% for alcohol.'
20 November 2002
For interviews: Ros Madden, AIHW, tel. 02 6244
1189, or tel. 0409 307 671
For background briefings: Gail Weaving, AIHW,
tel. 02 6244 1050,
or tel. 0419 251 763.
For media copies of the report: Publications
Officer, tel. 02 6244 1032
Availability: Check the AIHW Publications
Catalogue for details.