Information and education
Information and education can be provided to clients as written information or a psycho-educational intervention program. See glossary for further information.
In 2022–23, information and education as a main treatment was reported for 2.4% (5,681) of all treatment episodes (where clients received treatment for their own or someone else’s alcohol or drug use).
Most information and education episodes were provided to clients whose principal drug of concern was alcohol (45%) or cannabis (21%) (tables Trt.3, Trt.42).
Client profile
In 2022–23, for clients whose main treatment was information and education:
- About 2 in 3 people receiving information and education for their own alcohol or drug use were male (66%)
- Over half (54%) of people who received information and education for someone else’s alcohol or drug use were female.
- Almost 2 in 3 (65%) of all people receiving information and education for their own alcohol or drug use were aged 10–39 (21% of clients aged 10–19, 21% aged 20–29 and 23% aged 30–39).
- In contrast, almost 3 in 5 (58%) people who received treatment for someone else’s alcohol or drug use were aged 40 or over.
- Over 1 in 4 (26%) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) people received treatment for their own alcohol or drug use.
- Around 1 in 7 (15%) First Nations people received treatment for someone else’s alcohol or drug use (tables SC.18–20).
Treatment profile
Among treatment episodes in 2022–23 with information and education as the main treatment, 2 in 5 (40%) of treatment episodes lasted 1 day for clients receiving treatment for their own alcohol or drug use. For those who received treatment for someone else’s use, this proportion was 21% (Table Trt.44).
Over the 10-year period to 2022–23, among clients who received information and education:
- For their own alcohol or drug use: the proportion of treatment episodes that lasted 1 day decreased from 82% in 2013–14 to 40% in 2022–23. These recent decreases were likely due to:
- Coding changes prior to 2020–21 for treatment episodes provided to people diverted into alcohol and other drug (AOD) services by police and court diversion programs were recorded as information and education. From 2020–21, police and court diversion programs are now reported as counselling. Caution should be used when comparing these data over time.
- COVID-19 restrictions and reductions in service delivery from 2019–20 onwards.
- For someone else’s alcohol or drug use: the proportion of treatment episodes that lasted one day decreased from 70% in 2013–14 to 21% in 2022–23.
- For all clients: the proportion of treatment episodes for lasting from 2 days to 3 months increased from 16% in 2013–14 to 53% in 2022–23 (Table Trt.44).
It is important to note that information and education treatment trends are influenced by differences in jurisdictional program practices over time.