Kids make up 13% of drug help

A SHOCKING 13 per cent of Australians treated for problem drug or alcohol use in the past financial year were kids, some as young as 10.

The latest Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report released yesterday revealed the heavy burden of substance abuse with 130,031 people needing professional help in 2017-18 – more than 16,000 were kids. The number rose from 118,760 in 2013-14.

More than a third were alcohol related, a quarter for amphetamine abuse, 21 per cent for cannabis and 5 per cent for heroin use, the report shows.

Publicly-funded alcohol and drug services provided just under 210,000 treatment episodes.

During the past 10 years there has been a national increase in treatment agencies from 653 in 2008-09 to 952 in 2017-18.

The AIHW report Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Services in Australia shows counselling was the most popular treatment but there is also focus on education and diversion programs.

Some use a structured drugfree setting with abstinenceoriented interventions to help prevent relapse and develop skills and attitudes that assist clients to make changes.