When Australians get treatment for substance use, alcohol and
cannabis top the list, says a report released today by the
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).
The report, Alcohol and other drug treatment services in
Australia 2004-05, profiles 142,144 treatment episodes from
635 government-funded alcohol and other drug treatment agencies
across Australia.
Of the treatment episodes examined in the report, one-in-three
were for clients aged 20-29 years and the majority (two-in-three)
were males.
The AIHW's Chrysanthe Psychogios said 'Alcohol was the main drug
of concern in 37% of treatment episodes, a figure which has changed
little over the last four years.'
Cannabis was the next most common main drug of concern (23%),
followed by heroin (17%) and amphetamines (11%).
Ms Psychogios noted that many clients sought treatment for
multiple drugs, with over half of all treatment episodes involving
at least two drugs of concern.
'When all drugs are considered, just over half (51%) of all
treatment episodes included alcohol and 45% included cannabis,' she
said.
A special chapter on cannabis has been included in the report.
It shows that, of cannabis users who sought treatment, around
two-in-five (41%) were aged 20-29 years -this is the age group most
likely to have recently used cannabis.
Among clients who said cannabis use was their main concern, just
over half (52%) of their treatment episodes involved at least one
other drug that concerned them. Alcohol was the most common 'other
drug' reported (36%), followed by nicotine (21%), amphetamines
(20%) and ecstasy (6%).
As previously, counselling was the most commonly provided
treatment overall, followed by withdrawal management
(detoxification).
*Agencies whose sole activity is to prescribe and/or dose
methadone or other opioid therapies are not included in the
national data set
27 July 2006
Further information: Ms Chrysanthe Psychogios,
AIHW, tel. 02 6244 1068
For media copies of the report: Publications
Officer, AIHW, tel. 61 2 6244 1032.
Availability: Check the AIHW Publications
Catalogue for availability of the Alcohol and other drug
treatment services in Australia 2004-05 report.