Overview
Alcohol and other drug treatment services (AODTS) provide support to people regarding their use of alcohol or drugs. Treatment objectives can include reduction or cessation of alcohol or drug use as well as improvements to social and personal functioning. Assistance may also be provided to support the family and friends of people who use alcohol or drugs.
Featured summary
In Australia, publicly funded AODTS are available in all states and territories – most are funded by state and territory governments, and some are funded by the Australian Government.
Clients seeking treatment for their own drug use nominate a principal drug of concern, and additional drugs where applicable, which may be related to licit drug use (the use of legal drugs in a legal manner, including tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption) or illicit drug use. Illicit drug use refers to the:
- use of illegal drugs – those prohibited from manufacture, sale or possession in Australia, such as cannabis, cocaine, heroin and ecstasy misuse, non-medical or extra-medical use of pharmaceuticals – drugs that are available from a pharmacy, over the counter or by prescription, which may be subject to misuse, such as opioid-based pain relief medications, opioid substitution therapies, benzodiazepines, over-the-counter codeine and steroids
- use of other psychoactive substances – legal or illegal, which can potentially be used in a harmful way, for example, kava, or inhalants such as petrol, paint or glue (but not including tobacco or alcohol) (the Department of Health and Aged Care 2017).
Depending on a client's circumstances, services can be delivered in residential or non-residential settings and include treatment such as detoxification and rehabilitation, counselling, and pharmacotherapy.
Opioid pharmacotherapy is one of the main treatment options for dependence on opioid drugs, such as heroin and morphine. Treatment involves replacing the opioid drug of dependence with a legally obtained, longer-lasting opioid that is taken orally. In Australia, clients attend dosing point sites (for example, pharmacies) regularly to take the dose of their prescribed medication under the supervision of a pharmacist or other health professional.
Reference
The Department of Health and Aged Care 2017. The National Drug Strategy 2017–2026. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia.
Featured reports
Latest findings
Treatment agencies provided around 235,500 treatment episodes to an estimated 131,500 people aged 10 and over
3 in 5 people who received treatment were male (60%) and half (50%) were aged 20–39
Of the 235,500 AOD treatment episodes provided, counselling was the most common treatment (34%)
53,272 clients received opioid pharmacotherapy treatment in 2023
There were 3,082 opioid pharmacotherapy dosing sites in 2023
There were 3,123 authorised opioid pharmacotherapy prescribers
Related information
More reports and statistics on AODTS can be found under the topics: