The State of Recovery in Australia: Key Addiction, Treatment & Relapse Statistic
The State of Recovery in Australia: What the Data Shows in 2024–25
The short answer: Australia faces a widening gap between the scale of substance use and the support people actually receive. An estimated 4.4% of Australians over 15 are affected by Alcohol Use Disorder (AIHW, via Alcohol and Alcoholism, 2024), yet only 9.5% of people with any Substance Use Disorder accessed professional alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment in the past year (Ritter et al., Drug and Alcohol Review, 2025). Meanwhile, relapse rates cluster around 40–60% — and climb higher when aftercare is missing (Wellbrook Recovery, 2026).
How prevalent is alcohol and drug use in Australia?
Alcohol remains Australia’s most harmful drug by deaths. Preliminary ABS data records 1,765 alcohol-induced deaths in 2024 — more than any other drug — at an age-standardised rate of 5.9 per 100,000 people. That’s a clear rise over the decade, up from 1,362 deaths (5.2 per 100,000) in 2015 (ABS, 2025). The AIHW also ranks excessive alcohol consumption as the fifth overall contributor to Australia’s burden of disease (AIHW, 2024).
Illicit drug use is widespread: 18% of Australians used illicit drugs in the past year (AIHW, National Drug Strategy Household Survey 2022–23). Cannabis leads with 2.5 million recent users, while recent cocaine use grew from 900,000 people (4%) in 2019 to 1 million (5%) in 2022–23. Hallucinogen use rose sharply too — from 300,000 to 500,000 people — alongside increases in ketamine use (AIHW, NDSHS 2022–23).
Who is most affected — and how is that changing?
The gender gap is narrowing among young Australians. In 2022–23, 35% of both males and females aged 18–24 reported recent illicit drug use — but for women, that figure jumped from around 27% in 2019, while men’s use held stable (AIHW NDSHS 2022–23; Alcohol and Drug Foundation, 2024). On alcohol, 2019 data showed 47% of males aged 18–24 drinking at risky levels versus 35% of females — a gap that has been closing (AIHW, NDSHS 2022–23).
Vaping tells its own story: among 15–29 year olds, current e-cigarette use surged from 4.6% in 2019 to 25.7% in 2024 (peer-reviewed cross-sectional study, PMC, 2024).
How big is Australia’s treatment gap?
This is where the numbers become stark. Just 9.5% of people with any Substance Use Disorder reported accessing professional AOD treatment in the past year, according to the 2020–2022 National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing (Ritter et al., 2025). Researchers estimate between 207,000 and 500,000 Australians struggling with alcohol addiction cannot access the help they need, citing cost, distance and stigma as key barriers (Ritter et al., as cited in Refocus, 2026).
The public system is working hard but stretched. In 2024–25, publicly funded agencies delivered around 244,400 treatment episodes to an estimated 127,800 people aged 10 and over. Alcohol was the principal drug of concern in more than 2 in 5 episodes — 41%, or roughly 87,600 — up sharply from 32% (~63,200 episodes) in 2015–16 (AIHW, AOD Treatment Services in Australia Annual Report 2024–25).
What happens after treatment? The relapse and aftercare problem
Treatment is rarely a one-time event. Research from Australia and comparable countries shows relapse rates generally clustering around 40–60%, with higher rates where sufficient aftercare is not provided (Wellbrook Recovery, 2026). Australian service data reflects this cycle: 65% of alcohol treatment episodes in 2024–25 (56,300 episodes) were for people who had previously received AOD treatment since 2013–14 (AIHW, 2024–25).
The takeaway: recovery doesn’t end when treatment does
The data points to a structural gap. Most Australians with a substance use disorder never reach formal treatment, and among those who do, the majority cycle back — often because the period after clinical care is where structure, accountability and day-to-day support fall away.
This is the gap Redwood Recovery works in. As a private, non-clinical recovery coaching service in Sydney, Melbourne and the Gold Coast, Redwood doesn’t diagnose, treat or replace medical care — and no coaching service can promise outcomes. What recovery coaching offers is practical, ongoing support between and beyond clinical touchpoints: goal-setting, routine-building, accountability and connection during the months when the research shows people are most vulnerable. If the numbers above show anything, it’s that Australians in recovery need more sustained support after treatment — not less.
All statistics on this page are drawn from cited Australian government and research sources. Journalists and researchers are welcome to cite this page with attribution to Redwood Recovery and the original data sources.
Quotable stats (each tied to a source)
– An estimated 4.4% of Australians over 15 are affected by Alcohol Use Disorder — _AIHW, via Alcohol and Alcoholism journal, 2024_
– 1,765 alcohol-induced deaths in 2024 (5.9 per 100,000), up from 1,362 in 2015 (5.2 per 100,000) — _ABS Causes of Death, Australia (preliminary), 2025_
– 18% of Australians used illicit drugs in the past year — _AIHW, National Drug Strategy Household Survey 2022–23_
– 2.5 million Australians reported recent cannabis use; recent cocaine use rose from 900,000 (4%) in 2019 to 1 million (5%) in 2022–23 — _AIHW, NDSHS 2022–23_
– 35% of both men and women aged 18–24 reported recent illicit drug use in 2022–23; for women this rose from around 27% in 2019 — _AIHW NDSHS 2022–23; Alcohol and Drug Foundation, 2024_
– Recent hallucinogen use rose from 300,000 to 500,000 people between 2019 and 2022–23 — _AIHW, NDSHS 2022–23_
– Current e-cigarette use among 15–29 year olds rose from 4.6% in 2019 to 25.7% in 2024 — _Peer-reviewed cross-sectional study (PMC), 2024_
– Only 9.5% of people with any Substance Use Disorder accessed professional AOD treatment in the past year — _Ritter et al., Drug and Alcohol Review, 2025 (National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing 2020–2022)_
– Between 207,000 and 500,000 Australians with alcohol addiction cannot access the help they need — _Ritter et al., as cited in Refocus, 2026_
– 244,400 publicly funded treatment episodes were delivered to an estimated 127,800 people in 2024–25 — _AIHW, AOD Treatment Services in Australia Annual Report 2024–25_
– Alcohol was the principal drug of concern in 41% (~87,600) of treatment episodes in 2024–25, up from 32% (~63,200) in 2015–16 — _AIHW, AOD Treatment Services Annual Report 2024–25_
– Excessive alcohol consumption is the fifth overall contributor to Australia’s burden of disease — _AIHW, 2024_
– Relapse rates cluster around 40–60%, higher where sufficient aftercare is not provided — _Wellbrook Recovery, synthesising Australian and international research, 2026_
– 65% (56,300) of alcohol treatment episodes in 2024–25 involved people previously treated since 2013–14 — _AIHW, AOD Treatment Services Annual Report 2024–25_
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Sources
– https://andatech.com.au/blogs/resources/australian-alcohol-and-drug-trends-2024
– https://adf.org.au/about/media/2922024-report-aod-trends/
– https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/alcohol/alcohol-drugs-young-people
– https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12910865/
– https://hnc.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Health-Needs-Assessment_Priority-Areas_Alcohol-and-other-drugs.pdf
– https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11379491/
– https://doi.org/10.1111/dar.14008
– https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/dar.13792