What proportion of Australians who used pharmaceutical drugs for non-medical purposes concurrently used other drugs?
Among Australians who used pain-killers/pain-relievers/opioids for non-medical purposes in the past 12 months, approximately half (52%) used another drug at the same time. The drugs most commonly used concurrently with pain-killers/pain-relievers/opioids were alcohol (38%) and tobacco (23%).
38% of Australians who used pain-killers/pain-relievers/opioids for non-medical purposes in the past 12 months used alcohol concurrently, 23% used tobacco, 18% used cannabis, 6% used cocaine, 5% used tranquillisers/sleeping pills, 6% used meth/amphetamine,4% used hallucinogens, 4% used ecstasy, 4% used ketamine, 2% used heroin, 9% used other drugs, and 52% didn’t use any drug.
Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). 2022-23 National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NCETA secondary analysis, 2024).
Please note: This FAQ uses data from the National Drug Strategy Household Survey, which defines the pharmaceutical drugs referred to in this question as: the non-medical use of pain-killers/pain-relievers/opioids Oxycodone, Morphine, Codeine products such as Panadeine Forte (excluding paracetamol, asprin and ibuprofen where these drugs are the only active ingredients)).
Non-medical use:
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Using a drug for recreational purposes to induce or enhance a drug experience
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Using a pharmaceutical drug in a way that it was not prescribed / recommended (e.g. using it to enhance the effects of an illicit drug, taking it more frequently or at higher doses to induce a feeling, for performance enhancement including athletic and academic performance, or for weight loss).