Alcohol still our biggest problem, kids as young as 10 abuse drugs

A horrifying new report has shone a light on just how many children and adults are struggling with drug and alcohol abuse.

Ten-year-olds have been treated for drug and alcohol abuse, a new report released today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has revealed.

One third of all clients treated in 2019-20 had problems with alcohol, which continues to be the substance of most concern, followed by amphetamines, cannabis and heroin.

Treatment for amphetamine use has been increasing, with nearly five times as many treatment episodes than 10 years ago

Almost 140,000 adults and children sought help for substance abuse.

Queensland Network of Alcohol and Other Drug Agencies chief executive Rebecca Lang said alcohol was still the No.1 problem in the state, but data showed young people were generally having their first drink at a later age.

“That is a positive step, as the later you start to drink the less chance there is of it being a problem,” Ms Lang said.

“Sadly, when children are involved with alcohol it is often the result of some kind of trauma.

“Queenslanders still have the idea that alcohol is not as dangerous as other substances.

Rebecca Lang

“It is readily available, and a lot of the time people accidentally find themselves in trouble and needing to seek help.”

While children were included in the institute’s data for those treated for alcohol abuse, older Australians sought out the most help for problem drinking.

Almost three in five clients accessing drug and alcohol services were aged 50–59 and over seven in 10 clients (74 per cent) aged 60 and over received treatment for alcohol.

The majority of clients receiving alcohol and other drug treatment services were male (64 per cent), and this was the same for those receiving treatment for alcohol use (65 per cent male).

Alcohol and other drug treatment services reported changes in service provision and impacts on usage in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The restrictions caused a number of services to either suspend treatment or operate in new or different ways in 2020.

From March 2020 onwards, specialised treatments provided by services were affected by the introduction of social distancing measures, reducing availability of treatment places.

In response, a number of treatment services adapted practices by expanding access to online services and telehealth appointments.