Addiction to amphetamines like ice has surged to become the leading problem for a record one in two people seeking treatment for alcohol and other drug dependence, according to a report by Odyssey House.
Released today, the 2016 Odyssey House Annual Report reveals 49 per cent of clients entering its residential rehabilitation programs in Sydney during the 2015-16 financial year cited amphetamine type stimulants as their principal drug of concern.
This is up 53 per cent on 2015 admissions of clients and more than triple admissions a decade ago.
With ice addiction an increasing burden on families, communities and services, Odyssey House CEO Julie Babineau said she looked forward to the roll-out of Federal Government funding for amphetamine treatment, allocated in response to the National Ice Taskforce Report, and to new NSW Government drug funding coming on line.
“We could fill all our empty beds and treat more people if we had increased, longer term funding that enabled us to employ and train the staff we would need to be fully operational,” Ms Babineau said.
“Ice is a very concerning health and societal problem, but many frontline services like ours have not yet received the funds necessary to meet growing demand from people needing professional help to overcome dependence on this highly addictive drug.
[social_quote duplicate=”no” align=”default”]“To add to the treatment challenge, many Odyssey House clients have difficult personal histories and social disadvantage, so rebuilding their lives requires more effort, time and assistance.[/social_quote]
“For example, the average age of ‘first intoxication’ with alcohol or other drugs reported by our clients this year was when they were 12-13 years old, compared with 16-17 years of age in 2003.
“This year 44 per cent of clients were admitted with a coexisting mental illness. Ice in particular can have significant impacts on mental health including psychosis, depression and anxiety, or it can mask or exacerbate pre-existing problems,’’ Ms Babineau said.
“We’re also seeing the gradual ‘ageing’ of our client population and therefore more people with Long standing drug problems – now, over two-thirds of clients are over 30 years of age, compared with 44 per cent in 2006,” she said.
Addiction to heroin and prescription opioids such as methadone, morphine, fentanyl and oxycodone accounted for 16 per cent of Odyssey House clients admitted in 2015-16, down 45 per cent on the previous year.
Although this was good news, particularly given the dangers of opioid overdose, Ms Babineau cautioned against assuming the heroin problem is on the wane.
“Many people who would usually use heroin and/or misuse painkillers may switch to ice or speed – or vice versa – depending on what drugs are more readily available or affordable,” she said.
“We easily could see another surge in heroin/opioid problems like we did last year, when Odyssey House had a 164 per cent rise in opioid admissions and a 20 per cent fall in amphetamine admissions.”
