Selected other drugs: client demographics and treatment

In addition to the most common principal drugs of concern, the 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 seek treatment than people who use other drugs. See the Key terminology and glossary for further information.

Together, nicotine, ecstasy and cocaine have contributed around 2–3% of all treatment episodes each year since 2011–12 (tables AODTS Selected drugs.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 2020–21 but was an additional drug of concern in 10% of episodes (Table Drg.4).

Nicotine

In 2020–21, nicotine was reported as a drug of concern (either principal or additional) in 11% of all treatment episodes (25,222 episodes) (Table Drg.4). In 2020–21:

  • Nicotine was the principal drug of concern in just 1.1% of treatment episodes (2,494 episodes) (tables AODTS Selected drugs.1, Drg.4). This proportion has remained relatively stable since 2011–12 (1.2% or 1,722 episodes) (Table Drg.5).
  • Nicotine was an additional drug of concern in 1 in 10 treatment episodes (10% or 22,728 episodes) (Table Drg.4). Most treatment episodes with nicotine as an additional drug of concern were for alcohol (37% of episodes), amphetamines (29%) or cannabis (23%) 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 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 2020–21, 1,924 clients received treatment for nicotine as the principal drug of concern (Table SC.9). Of these clients:

  • Over 1 in 2 were male (55% of clients) (Table SC.9).
  • Over 1 in 2 were aged 10–19 (35% of clients) or 20–29 (17%) years (Table SC.10).
  • Around 1 in 4 were Indigenous Australians (26% or 508 clients) (Table SC.11).

Treatment

In 2020–21, 2,494 treatment episodes were provided to clients for nicotine as the principal drug of concern. The median duration of these treatment episodes was 2 days (Table Drg.44). Half of all episodes ended within 1 day (50% of episodes) and 33% lasted between 2 days and 3 months (Table OV.12).

Among nicotine-related episodes in 2020–21:

  • The most common source of referral was self/family (31% of episodes), followed by health services (29%) (Table Drg.46).
  • The most common main treatment types were assessment only (47% of episodes and, counselling (25%) (Table Drg.45).
  • Around 4 in 5 treatment episodes took place in a non-residential treatment facility (81% of episodes), and 10% took place in an outreach setting (Table Drg.47).
  • Almost 3 in 4 episodes ended with a planned completion (73% of episodes), while 11% ended unexpectedly (Table Drg.47).

Ecstasy

In 2020–21, ecstasy was reported as a drug of concern (either principal or additional) in 1.5% of all treatment episodes (3,343 episodes) (Table Drg.4). In 2020–21:

  • Ecstasy was the principal drug of concern in just 0.3% of treatment episodes (742 episodes) (Table Drg.5). This proportion has remained relatively stable since 2011–12 (0.4% or 550 episodes) (Table Drg.5).
  • Ecstasy was an additional drug of concern in 1.2% of treatment episodes (2,601 episodes), down from 2.8% in 2011–12 (4,096 episodes) (tables Drg.4 and Drg.5). Most treatment episodes with ecstasy as an additional drug of concern were for cannabis (42% of episodes), amphetamines (26%) or alcohol (19%) (Table Drg.3).

Client demographics

In 2020–21, 546 clients received treatment for ecstasy as the principal drug of concern. Among these clients:

  • 2 in 3 were male (66% of clients) (Table SC.9).
  • Over 4 in 5 were aged 10–19 (40% of clients) or 20–29 (45%) (Table SC.10).
  • Fewer than 1 in 10 were Indigenous Australians (8.1%) (Table SC.11).

Treatment

In 2020–21, 742 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 under 4 weeks (26 days), up from 1 day the previous year (Table Drg.75). Over 1 in 3 episodes ended within 1 day (37% of episodes) and 40% lasted between 2 days and 3 months (Table OV.12).

Among ecstasy-related treatment episodes in 2020–21:

  • The most common source of referral was diversion from the criminal justice system (31% of episodes), followed by self/family (25%) (Table Drg.73).
  • The most common main treatment types were counselling (51% of episodes) and assessment only (17%) (Table Drg.72).
  • Almost three-quarters of treatment episodes took place in a non-residential treatment setting (74% of episodes) (Table Drg.74).
  • Just over 7 in 10 treatment episodes ended with a planned completion (71% of episodes), while 17% ended unexpectedly. The proportion of episodes with a planned completion ranged from 37% for episodes with rehabilitation as the main treatment to 89% for information and education (Table Drg.74).

Cocaine

In 2020–21, cocaine was reported as a drug of concern (either principal or additional) in 2.6% of all closed treatment episodes (5,800 episodes) (Table Drg.4). In 2020–21:

  • Cocaine was the principal drug of concern in 1.1% of treatment episodes (2,500 episodes), rising from 0.4% of episodes in 2011–12 (415 episodes) (Table Drg.5).
  • Cocaine was an additional drug of concern in 1.5% of treatment episodes (3,300 episodes). This has remained relatively stable since 2011–12 (1.5%), although the number of treatment episodes increased from 2,200 to 3,300 across the period (Table Drg.5). Most treatment episodes with cocaine as an additional drug of concern were for alcohol (37% of episodes), amphetamines (28%) or cannabis (21%) (Table Drg.3).

Client demographics

Around 1,800 clients received treatment for cocaine as the principal drug of concern in 2020–21 (Table SC.9). Among these clients:

  • Over 4 in 5 were male (85% of clients) (Table SC.9).
  • 1 in 2 were aged 20–29 years (50% of clients) and a further 28% were aged 30–39 (Table SC.10).
  • Just 5.4% were Indigenous Australians (Table SC.11).

Treatment

In 2020–21, around 2,500 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 4 weeks (29 days), down from 36 days the previous year (Table Drg.84). Around 1 in 4 episodes ended within 1 day (26% of episodes) and 52% lasted between 2 days and 3 months (Table OV.12).

Among cocaine-related treatment episodes in 2020–21:

  • The most common source of referral was self/family (37% of episodes), followed by health services (24%) and diversion (21%) (Table Drg.82).
  • The most common main treatment types were counselling (49% of episodes) and assessment only (21%) (Table Drg.81).
  • Around 4 in 5 treatment episodes took place in non-residential treatment facilities (78% of episodes) (Table Drg.83).
  • Nearly 2 in 3 treatment episodes ended with a planned completion (65% of episodes), while 19% ended unexpectedly. Expected cessations were most common where the main treatment type was information and education (88% of episodes) (Table Drg.82).