Alcohol and other drug treatment services in Australia annual report 2024–25

In 2024–25:

• Information and education was provided in 2.4% (5,903) of all treatment episodes.
• Information and education episodes most commonly involved alcohol (42%) or methamphetamine (19%).
• 2 in 5 (38%) of information and education episodes lasted 1 day for clients receiving treatment for their own alcohol or drug use.
• 46% of information and education episodes lasted 1 day for clients who received treatment for someone else’s use (tables Trt.3, Trt.42, Trt.44).

Client profile

In 2024–25, 3,370 clients received information and education:

• Of the people who received information and education for their own alcohol or drug use:
  • 2 in 3 (66%) were male.
  • 62% of people were aged 10–39 (14% aged 10–19, 22% aged 20–29 and 25% aged 30–39).
  • 3 in 10 (30%) were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) people.
• Of the people who received information and education for someone else’s alcohol or drug use:
  • 2 in 3 65% were female.
  • Half (54%) were aged 40 or over.
  • 1 in 10 (11%) were First Nations people (tables SC.18–20).

Treatment profile

Between 2015–16 and 2024–25:

• For own alcohol or drug use, the proportion of information and education episodes that lasted 1 day fell from 79% in 2015–16 to 38% in 2024–25. These decreases were likely due to:
  • Coding changes: from 2020–21, police and court diversion programs were reported as counselling (previously recorded as information and education). Caution should be used when comparing these data over time.
  • Reductions in service delivery from 2019–20 onwards (such as COVID-19 impacts).
• For someone else’s alcohol or drug use, the proportion of information and education episodes that lasted one day rose from 38% in 2015–16 to 46% in 2024–25.
• For all clients, the proportion of information and education episodes for lasting from 2 days to 3 months rose from 19% in 2015–16 to 52% in 2024–25 (Table Trt.44).

In 2019–20, changes were made to categories under Main Treatment; the word ‘only’ was removed from information and education. The removal of the word ‘only’ from information and education, changed reporting rules for agencies; allowing agencies to be able to report and more accurately capture these items as an additional treatment in conjunction with a main treatment type.