70% at drug clinic 'also suffer alcohol addiction'

Categories

Addiction Treatment
Alcohol
Drugs
Gambling
In the papers
On TV

News Archive

Home » News » Drugs » 70% at drug clinic 'also suffer alcohol addiction'

by Change | 16 Dec 2008

Bookmark

E-mail

A drug abuse recovery clinic has reported alcohol addiction plays a role in 70 per cent of admissions.

An Australian rehab centre has reported alcohol addiction is the dependency which drives the largest number to use its services, a source reveals.

Nearly a third of those attending Odyssey House listed this as their primary problem, up nine per cent from the 2005-06 financial year, Australian Associated Press reports.

Almost 70 per cent gave alcohol addiction as part of the reason they were applying for treatment at the rehab centre.

marijuana abuse also became more prevalent, with 18 per cent admitting addiction to the herbal drug, the news provider reports.

James Pitts, the rehab treatment centre's chief executive, claims there has been a marked increase in the number of attendees suffering secondary mental illnesses.

According to the source, nearly half of those entering the drug addiction clinic stated they suffered from depression, anxiety, schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.

Mr Pitts states: "The best health outcomes are achieved when a person's substance misuse is treated at the same time as their mental illness, but this requires an integrated therapeutic approach, more intensive, longer-term treatment and specially-trained staff."

The Sentence Guidelines Council recently ruled that judges should be able to offer community terms involving substance abuse clinic referrals in place of custodial sentences.

Bookmark this: