How has the number and proportion of pharmaceutical drug-related treatment episodes in Australia changed over time?
The proportion of treatment episodes in Australia for which pharmaceutical drugs† were the principal drug of concern has halved from 6% in 2011-12 to 3% in 2020-21.
The number of treatment episodes for pharmaceutical drug use have also decreased from 8,980 to 7,288 during this time.
In Australia, pharmaceutical drugs were the principal drug of concern in 6% in 2011-12, 6% in 2012-13, 6% in 2013-14, 5% in 2014-15, 4% in 2015-16, 4% in 2016-17, 4% in 2017-18, 3% in 2018-19, 3% in 2019-20 and 3% in 2020-21.
In Australia, there were 8,980 treatment episodes where pharmaceutical drugs were the principal drug of concern in 2011-12, 9,223 in 2012-13, 9,883 in 2013-14, 8,072 in 2014-15, 8,515 in 2015-16, 7,563 in 2016-17, 7,327 in 2017-18, 7,089 in 2018-19, 6,805 in 2019-20 and 7,288 in 2020-21.
Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Services in Australia 2020-21.
† This FAQ uses data from the Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Services National Minimum Dataset, which defines the pharmaceutical drugs referred to in this question as: benzodiazepines, codeine, morphine, buprenorphine, oxycodone, and methadone.
Principal Drug of Concern: The main substance that leads an individual to seek treatment from an alcohol and drug treatment agency (as stated by the individual).
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.