Treatment must include rehabilitation
The latest report on drug treatment services in Australia opens the question of what is effective treatment for illicit drug use.
Counselling and withdrawal management are the most common treatments offered in Australia for illicit drugs.
(Source: Alcohol & Other Drug Treatment Services in Australia, 2003/4)
DRUG ADVISORY COUNCIL COMMENTS-
The term drug treatment is nebulous, as it can mean anything.
Drug maintenance programs like injecting rooms and syringe distributions are claimed by some to be treatment even though they maintain users in their use.
Our Council believes that the current trend of increasing illicit drug use must be reversed with policies that reduce the demand for illicit drugs.
Illicit drug users must be provided with detoxification followed by rehabilitation to a drug free state.
The key goal of all rehabilitation must be to get the user free of illicit drug use.
A drug free state should be defined as not using any illicit drugs for a period of at least 5 years after rehabilitation ceases.
Rehabilitation programs should be audited to monitor performance in achieving the key goal of former users being drug free.
Overseas countries that have substantially reduced their drug using population accept that rehabilitation MUST get users free of illicit drugs.
Australia MUST reduce its drug using population by providing voluntary or court ordered detoxification and rehabilitation for illicit drug users.
THE DRUG ADVISORY COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA SUPPORTS-
More detoxification & rehabilitation that gets illicit drug users drug free.
Court ordered and supervised detoxification & rehabilitation.
Less illicit drug users, drug pushers and drug related crimes.
42/2005
