Summary

In the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) in 2007–08, 10 publicly funded alcohol and other drug treatment agencies provided 3,738 treatment episodes.

The median age of persons receiving treatment for their own drug use was 30 years, similar to 2006–07 (32 years). For people seeking treatment in relation to someone else’s drug use, the median age decreased from 52 years in 2006–07 to 43 years in 2007–08.

Alcohol was again the most common principal drug of concern (49%), although accounting for a smaller proportion of episodes compared to the previous year. Other principal drugs of concern were heroin (20%), cannabis (14%) and amphetamines (10%).

Counselling accounted for 28% of treatment episodes as the main treatment type, followed by withdrawal management (21%) and assessment only (19%). This represented a substantial decrease in assessment only episodes and an increase in withdrawal management as a proportion of total treatments.