Understanding how clients leave specialist alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment provides insights into how clients and AOD services engage with each other.
Between 1 July 2013 and 30 June 2021, 228,500 people sought specialist AOD treatment for either alcohol or amphetamines. Of the 648,400 treatment episodes provided to these clients across this 8 year period, 1 in 4 episodes did not end as planned. This report examines how the likelihood of planned completion varies by treatment characteristics such as drug type (alcohol compared to amphetamines), main treatment and client remoteness.
- Cat. no: PHE 314
Findings from this report:
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Specialist AOD treatment ending as planned was more likely where a client was receiving more intensive treatment.
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Clients from major cities were more likely to have their treatment episodes end as planned.
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Unplanned completion of treatment was more likely if amphetamines was the main drug being treated (compared to alcohol).
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Rehabilitation was the treatment type most likely to have an unplanned completion.