Summary

In Western Australia in 2009–10, 52 government-funded alcohol and other drug treatment agencies provided 17,187 treatment episodes. This was an increase of eight treatment agencies and 272 treatment episodes compared with 2008–09. The median1 ages of persons receiving treatment for their own drug use (30) and those seeking assistance for someone else’s drug use (47) were similar to 2008–09. Alcohol (49%), cannabis (19%) and amphetamines (14%) were again the top three drugs of concern. As in 2008–09, counselling was the most common form of main treatment provided (63% of episodes), followed by withdrawal management (8%), rehabilitation and information and education only (both 6%).  

1 The median is the midpoint of a list of observations ranked from the smallest to the largest.