Alcohol: client demographics and treatment
In 2019–20, alcohol was reported as a drug of concern in almost half (45%) of all closed treatment episodes, either as a principal or additional drug of concern:
- alcohol was the most common principal drug of concern in over one-third (34% or 75,005) of treatment episodes
- additional drugs of concern reported with alcohol, included cannabis (34%) or nicotine (30%) but these drugs are not necessarily the subject of any treatment within the episode (Figure DRUGS1; tables SD.6–8).
Alcohol dependence and harm
Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant that inhibits brain functions, dampens the motor and sensory centres, and makes judgment, coordination and balance more difficult (NDARC 2010).
The Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) developed by the World Health Organisation identifies people whose substance use may be causing them harm. High scores indicate a possible substance dependence issue while moderate scores indicate substance use that maybe harmful or hazardous to the person’s health. The ASSIST-Lite is an abridged version of the ASSIST and was incorporated into the NDSHS in 2019 to estimate how many people show signs of substance dependence or a pattern of use which may be hazardous to their health.
Results from the 2019 National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS) (AIHW 2020) showed that:
- 77% of Australians aged 14 and over drank alcohol in the previous 12 months
- ASSIST-Lite scores indicated, of those Australians who had an alcoholic drink in the previous 12 months, 9.9% were likely to meet the criteria for alcohol dependence. Males (13.5%) were more likely to receive this score compared to females (6.3%).
- A further 29% of this population were using alcohol to a hazardous or harmful extent with males (36%) more likely to meet this threshold than females (22%).
- Of the Australian population aged 14 and over, this equates to 7.5% who may be experiencing alcohol dependence and would benefit from specialist treatment and a further 22% who are likely to be using alcohol in a harmful way (AIHW 2020).
Client demographics
In 2019–20, 42,426 clients received treatment for alcohol as a principal drug of concern; around two-thirds of these clients were male (65%) and 1 in 6 were Indigenous Australians (18%) (tables SC.6, SC.8).
For clients whose principal drug of concern was alcohol:
- clients were most likely aged 40–49 (26% clients), followed by 30–39 (25%) (Figure ALCOHOL1; Table SC.7).
- the rate of Indigenous Australian clients receiving treatment remains high, fluctuating over the years from 1,140 per 100,000 people in 2015–16 to 1,209 in 2019–20 (Table SCR.26).