Alcohol and other drug treatment services in Australia annual report

Selected other drugs: client demographics and treatment

In addition to the most common principal drugs of concern, the Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Services National Minimum Data Set (AODTS NMDS) report includes information on selected other drug types: nicotine, ecstasy and cocaine. These drugs may be commonly used in the community or linked to increased risk of harm. Treatment captured through the AODTS NMDS for these drugs may be less prominent than for other drugs as they are relatively uncommon, or people who use them are less likely to receive treatment than people who use other drugs. See the Key terminology and glossary for further information.

Together, nicotine, ecstasy and cocaine have contributed around 1–2% of all treatment episodes each year since 2013–14 (tables Drg.1, Drg.5). Individually, the proportion of treatment episodes for each of these drugs has remained at less than 2% per year across the period (Table SD.9).

Nicotine, ecstasy and cocaine are more likely to be reported as an additional rather than principal drug of concern. For example, nicotine was reported as a principal drug of concern in only 1.1% of treatment episodes in 2022–23 but was an additional drug of concern in 7.8% of episodes (Table Drg.5).

Nicotine

In 2022–23, nicotine was reported as a drug of concern (either principal or additional) in 8.9% of all treatment episodes (19,257 episodes) (Table Drg.5). In 2022–23:

• Nicotine was the principal drug of concern in just 1.1% of treatment episodes (2,309 episodes) (tables Drg.1, Drg.5). This proportion has remained relatively stable since 2013–14 (1.7% or 2,837 episodes) (Table Drg.5).
• Nicotine was an additional drug of concern in just under 1 in 10 treatment episodes (7.8% or 16,948 episodes) (Table Drg.4). Most treatment episodes with nicotine as an additional drug of concern were for alcohol (42%), amphetamines (26% of episodes) or cannabis (21%) as the principal drug of concern (Table Drg.3).

The low proportion of episodes for nicotine as the principal drug of concern in the AODTS NMDS collection may be due to the existence of numerous alternative support options within the community (for example, general practitioners, pharmacies, helplines, and web services). Additionally, people may view alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment services as being most appropriate for drug use that is beyond the expertise of general practitioners. However, therapy to quit smoking is becoming an integral part of some AOD services as a parallel treatment with other drugs of concern.

Client demographics

In 2022–23, 1,728 clients received treatment for nicotine as the principal drug of concern (Table SC.9).

Of these clients:

• Over half were male (53% of clients) (Table SC.9).
• Almost 2 in 3 (64%) were aged either 10–19 (30% of clients), 20–29 (16%), or 30–39 (18%) years (Table SC.10).
• Nearly 1 in 5 were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) people (18% of clients) (Table SC.11).

Treatment

In 2022–23, 2,309 treatment episodes were provided to clients for nicotine as the principal drug of concern. 

Among nicotine-related episodes in 2022–23:

• The most common source of referral into treatment was health service (32% of episodes), followed by self/family (21%) (Table Drg.46).
• The most common main treatment types were counselling (34% of episodes) and assessment only (29%) (Table Drg.45).
• The median duration of these treatment episodes was 30 days (Table Drg.48). Over half of all episodes (55%) lasted between 2 days and 3 months, while over 1 in 5 (23%) lasted less than 1 day (Table OV.12).
• 7 in 10 episodes ended with a planned completion (70% of episodes), while 17% ended unexpectedly (Table Drg.47).

Ecstasy

In 2022–23, ecstasy was reported as a drug of concern (either principal or additional) in 0.8% of all treatment episodes (1,736 episodes) (Table Drg.4).

In 2022–23:

• Ecstasy was the principal drug of concern in 0.2% of treatment episodes (447 episodes) (Table Drg.5).
• This proportion has remained relatively stable since 2013–14 (0.6% or 974 episodes) (Table Drg.5).

• Ecstasy was an additional drug of concern in 0.6% of treatment episodes (1,289 episodes) this has remained stable since 2013–14 (0.6% or 974 episodes) (tables Drg.4 and Drg.5). Most treatment episodes with ecstasy as an additional drug of concern were for amphetamines (31%), cannabis (28% of episodes) or alcohol (27%) (Table Drg.3).

Client demographics

In 2022–23, 326 clients received treatment for ecstasy as the principal drug of concern. Among these clients:

• 7 in 10 were male (72% of clients) (Table SC.9)
• Around 4 in 5 were aged either 10–19 (23% of clients) or 20–29 (54%) (Table SC.10)
• Less than 1 in 13 were First Nations people (7.7%) (Table SC.11).

Treatment

In 2022–23, 447 treatment episodes were provided to clients for ecstasy as the principal drug of concern (Table Drg.4). The median duration of these treatment episodes was just over 1 week (8 days), the same as the previous year (Table Drg.75). Among ecstasy-related treatment episodes in 2022–23:

• The most common source of referral into treatment was diversion from the criminal justice system (33% of episodes), followed by self/family (31%) (Table Drg.73).
• The most common main treatment types were counselling (47% of episodes) and assessment only (21%) (Table Drg.72).
• Just under 7 in 10 treatment episodes ended with a planned completion (68% of episodes), while 15% ended unexpectedly. 
• The proportion of episodes with a planned completion ranged from 48% for episodes with rehabilitation as the main treatment to 86% for information and education (Table Drg.74).

Cocaine

In 2022–23, cocaine was reported as a drug of concern (either principal or additional) in 2.1% of all closed treatment episodes (4,505 episodes) (Table Drg.4).

In 2022–23:

• Cocaine was the principal drug of concern in 1.0% of treatment episodes (2,100 episodes), rising from 0.3% of episodes in 2013–14 (550 episodes) (Table Drg.5).
• Cocaine was an additional drug of concern in 1.1% of treatment episodes (2,405 episodes). 
• This has remained relatively stable since 2013–14 (1.4%), with a slight increase in episode numbers from 2,354 to 2,405 across the period (Table Drg.5). Most treatment episodes with cocaine as an additional drug of concern were for alcohol (45% of episodes), amphetamines (27%) or cannabis (15%) (Table Drg.3).

Client demographics

In 2022–23, 1,564 clients received treatment for cocaine as the principal drug of concern (Table SC.12).

Among these clients:

• Over 4 in 5 were male (83% of clients) (Table SC.9).
• Over half were aged 20–29 years (51% of clients) and a further 30% were aged 30–39 (Table SC.10).
• Around 1 in 14 (6.9%) were First Nations people (Table SC.11).

Treatment

In 2022–23, 2,100 treatment episodes were provided to clients for cocaine as the principal drug of concern (Table Drg.4). The median duration of these treatment episodes was just over 5 weeks (37 days), the same as the previous year (Table Drg.84).

Among cocaine-related treatment episodes in 2022–23:

• The most common source of referral into treatment was self/family (35% of episodes), followed by diversion (23%) and health services (15%) (Table Drg.82).
• The most common main treatment types were counselling (50% of episodes) and assessment only (21%) (Table Drg.81).
• 4 in 5 treatment episodes took place in non-residential treatment facilities (80% of episodes) (Table Drg.83).
• Nearly 2 in 3 treatment episodes ended with a planned completion (65% of episodes), while 17% ended unexpectedly.
• Planned completions were most likely where the main treatment type was information and education (91% of episodes) (Table Drg.82).