Are younger or older Australians more likely to receive treatment for alcohol use?
Australians aged 40-49 and 30-39 are the age groups most likely to receive treatment for alcohol use, accounting for 26% and 25% of all alcohol-related treatment episodes, respectively. Young Australians (10-19 years) are least likely to receive treatment for alcohol use.
In 2022-23, Australians aged 10-19 years accounted for 3% of all alcohol-related treatment episodes, 20-29 year olds accounted for 16%; 30-39 year olds accounted for 25%; 40-49 year olds accounted for 26%; 50-59 year olds accounted for 19%; and 60+ year olds accounted for 11%.
Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Services in Australia 2022-23.
Treatment Episode: A period of contact between a client and a treatment provider. Only ‘closed’ treatment episodes are included in the data used here. An episode is closed if there is a change in the principal drug of concern, main treatment, or service delivery setting; if the treatment ends; or if the patient is imprisoned or dies.