Treatment type
Across all treatment intensity cohorts, the likelihood of a treatment episode ending as planned varied by treatment type and principal drug of concern (Figure 4).
Figure 4: End reasons of episodes treating alcohol or amphetamines between 2013–14 and 2020–21, by treatment intensity cohort and main treatment type
This interactive data visualisation shows the number and proportion of episodes provided to clients receiving intensive, recurring and non-recurring treatment for alcohol or amphetamines. Episodes are presented by reason for cessation and main treatment type.
Based on clients’ needs and agreed treatment goals, services may provide a number of interventions.
| Counselling |
Can include cognitive behaviour therapy, brief intervention, relapse intervention and motivational interviewing. |
| Information and education | Where information and education is provided to the client (service providers would normally include an information and education component in all treatment types) |
| Support and case management | Support includes helping a client who occasionally calls an agency worker for emotional support, while case management is usually more structured than ‘support’. It can assume a more holistic approach, taking into account all client needs (including general welfare needs) and it includes assessment, planning, linking, monitoring and advocacy. |
| Withdrawal management (detoxification) | Includes medicated and non-medicated treatment to help manage, reduce or stop the use of a drug of concern. |
| Rehabilitation | Focuses on supporting clients in stopping their drug use, and to prevent psychological, legal, financial, social and physical consequences of problematic drug use. Rehabilitation can be delivered in several ways, including residential treatment services, therapeutic communities and community-based rehabilitation services. |
| Pharmacotherapy (included in ‘other’) |
Where the client receives another type of treatment in the same treatment episode and includes drugs such as naltrexone, buprenorphine and methadone used as maintenance therapies or relapse prevention for people who experience dependence on certain types of opioids. Where a pharmacotherapy is used for withdrawal, it is included in the withdrawal category. |
For further information, please see Alcohol and other drug treatment services in Australia annual report: Key terminology and glossary.
Alcohol
Among clients seeking treatment for alcohol as a principal drug of concern:
- Rehabilitation episodes had a similar likelihood of unplanned completion across all treatment cohorts (around 37%) and was the treatment with the highest likelihood of unplanned completions.
- Counselling episodes provided to clients receiving intensive treatment had the highest likelihood of ending with a planned completion (62%), while episodes provided to clients receiving recurring treatment had the lowest (53%).
Amphetamines
Among clients seeking treatment for amphetamines as a principal drug of concern:
- Around 1 in 2 (45%) rehabilitation episodes provided across all three cohorts ended as an unplanned completion and was the treatment with the highest likelihood of unplanned completions.
- Around 3 in 5 (57%) counselling episodes provided to clients receiving intensive treatment ended in a planned completion, higher than clients receiving non-recurring and recurring treatments (52% and 49%, respectively).
For further details, refer to Supplementary table BLTN.5.