Alcohol and other drug treatment services in Australia annual report 2023–24

In 2023–24, 487 publicly funded alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment agencies in New South Wales provided 45,260 treatment episodes to 27,536 clients (tables ST NSW.1, Agcy.1, SCR.21).

New South Wales reported:

• While client numbers are similar between 2022–23 and 2023–24 (27,874 to 27,536), both years were an increase from 2013–14 (24,184).
• Clients receiving AOD services between 2013–14 and 2023–24 remained stable, after adjusting for population growth (372 clients per 100,000 people compared with 370 per 100,000, respectively).
• The number of treatment episodes increased by 24% between 2014–15 and 2023–24 (36,598 and 45,260, respectively), peaking in 2018–19 (52,563) (tables ST NSW.2, SCR.21).

In 2023–24, most clients in New South Wales attended 1 agency for treatment (78%) (Table SCR.23). Clients received an average of 1.6 treatment episodes, similar to the national average (1.8) (Table SCR.21).

Client demographics

In 2023–24:

• Nearly all (97%) clients in New South Wales received treatment for their own alcohol or drug use, of which 2 in 3 people were male (63%) (Figure NSW 1).
• In 2023–24, for the first time since 2013–14, a similar proportion of males (49%) and females (48%) received treatment for someone else’s alcohol or drug use.
• Half (51%) of all clients were aged 30–49 years.
• 1 in 5 (20%) of all clients were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) people, consistent with the national proportion (18%).
• The majority (86%) of all clients were born in Australia and nearly all (97%) reported English as their preferred language (tables SCR NSW.1-4, SCR NSW.9-10, SC.5).

New and returning clients

In 2023–24:

• 2 in 5 (43%, 11,473) clients in New South Wales were a new client, who had not previously received treatment since 2013–14.

3 in 5 (57%, 15,416) clients in New South Wales were returning clients, who have previously received AOD treatment from a service at some point since 2013–14 (see Key terminology and glossary) (Table SCR.28).

Drugs of concern

In 2023–24, among clients in New South Wales receiving treatment episodes for their own alcohol or drug use (44,180 episodes):

• Alcohol was the most common principal drug of concern (43%, 19,060 episodes).
• Amphetamines as a principal drug of concern accounted for 1 in 4 episodes (25%, 11,165), followed by cannabis (13%, 5,704) (Figure NSW.2, Tables ST NSW.6).

In 2023–24, for clients who received treatment for their own use of amphetamines (11,165 episodes):

• Methamphetamine was reported as a principal drug of concern in 94% (10,515) of treatment episodes (Figure NSW 3, Table Drg.4).
• Half (53%) of the treatment episodes where methamphetamine was the principal drug of concern, smoking was the most common method of use, followed by injecting (38%) (Figure NSW 3, Table ST NSW.10).

Clients can nominate up to 5 additional drugs of concern; these drugs are not necessarily the subject of any treatment within the episode (see technical notes).

In 2023–24, where additional drugs of concern were reported, cannabis and nicotine were the most common additional drugs of concern (13% and 10% of episodes, respectively), followed by amphetamines (7.8%) and alcohol (6.1%) (Table ST NSW.7).

Over the period 2014–15 to 2023–24 New South Wales was consistent with national trends:

• Alcohol remained the most common drug of concern, although there was variation in treatment episode numbers during this time, fluctuating from 14,789 to 19,060 over this period.
  • The proportion of alcohol treatment episodes relative to all other drugs of concern, declined from 42% in 2014–15 to 37% in 2016–17, rising to 43% in 2023–24 (Figure NSW 2, Table ST NSW.6).
• Amphetamines were the second most common principal drug of concern in 2023–24 and have increased since 2014–15, from 21%, 7,357 episodes to 25%, 11,165 episodes, respectively.
  • Within the amphetamines group, methamphetamine was reported as the principal drug of concern in over half (55%) of episodes in 2014–15, rising to 63% in 2017–18 before a considerable increase to 94% in 2023–24 (Figure NSW 3).
  • The rise in episodes is likely to be related to both increases in funded treatment services and/or improvement in agency coding practices for methamphetamine.
• Cannabis was the third most common principal drug of concern, decreasing from 19% (6,782 episodes) to 13% (5,704) in 2023–24 (Figure NSW 2, Table ST NSW.6).

Treatment

In 2023–24, for treatment episodes in New South Wales (45,260):

• Counselling was the most common main treatment provided (36%), followed by support and case management (16%) and rehabilitation (15%).
• Where an additional treatment was provided as a supplementary to the main treatment, ‘other’ treatment (17%) was the most common, followed by counselling (8.1%) (Table ST NSW.13). See technical notes for further information on calculating proportions for additional treatment type.

Over the period 2014–15 to 2023–24:

• Counselling remained the most common treatment for all episodes relative to other treatment types, rising from 33% (12,001) in 2014–15 to 42% (16,090) in 2016–17, before dropping to 36% (16,175) in 2023–24.
• The proportion of withdrawal management episodes have fallen in the 10 years to 2023–24 from 17% (6,147) to 14% (6,481) (tables ST NSW.13, NSW.15).

Agencies

In 2023–24, in New South Wales:

• 3 in 5 (59%, 289) AOD agencies were government funded treatment agencies.
• 65% of the 487 publicly funded treatment services were located in Major cities, followed by Inner regional areas (30%).
• Agencies located in Major cities provided three-quarters (72%) of all treatment episodes.
• No treatment agencies were located in Very remote areas. Less than 1% (5) of treatment episodes were provided in Remote areas (Figure NSW 5, tables Agcy.1, Agcy.3–4).

In the period from 2014–15 to 2023–24, the number of publicly funded treatment agencies in New South Wales rose from 296 to 487 (Table Agcy.1).