The State of Recovery in Australia: Key Statistics on Addiction, Treatment Gaps
How Many Australians Are Affected?
Australia has a significant and growing substance use challenge — yet the systems designed to help are reaching fewer than half the people who need them. This page compiles the most current, cited data on addiction prevalence, the treatment gap, relapse rates, and the role of structured aftercare and recovery coaching in closing that gap.
Alcohol remains the most widely used substance in the country. According to the 2022–23 National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS), 69% of Australians aged 14 and over consumed alcohol in the previous 12 months (AIHW, 2024). Alcohol use disorders affect an estimated 4.4% of Australians over the age of 15, and the combined harmful effects of alcohol cost Australia an estimated $66.8 billion per year (Drug and Alcohol Review). Excessive alcohol consumption is ranked as the fifth leading contributor to the burden of disease and illness in Australia (AIHW, 2024).
Illicit drug use is also rising. The same NDSHS found that 1 in 5 Australians (20.4%) aged 14 and older reported illicit drug use in the previous 12 months — up from 18.4% a decade earlier in 2013–14 (AIHW, 2024). Cannabis is the most commonly used illegal drug, with 2.5 million Australians reporting recent use. Cocaine use increased from 900,000 people (4%) in 2019 to 1 million people (5%) in 2022–23 (AIHW, NDSHS 2024).
Young adults are disproportionately affected. In 2022–23, 35% of both males and females aged 18–24 reported recent illicit drug use — with women recording a sharp rise from approximately 27% in 2019 (Alcohol and Drug Foundation / AIHW, 2024). Even among teenagers, about 3 in 10 (31%) aged 14–17 consumed alcohol in the previous year.
The Treatment Gap: A National Crisis
Despite the scale of need, the gap between who requires treatment and who actually receives it is stark. A 2025 analysis by Ritter & O’Reilly published in the Drug and Alcohol Review estimated that in 2022–23, only 30%–49% of Australians who could benefit from alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment received it. Between 752,812 and 1,291,119 Australians meet the diagnostic criteria for a substance use disorder, yet formal treatment reached an estimated 198,731 people — leaving a gap of between 207,966 and 469,767 individuals who missed out.
The Alcohol and Drug Foundation summarises the finding plainly: approximately 500,000 people missed out on receiving help in 2023 (ADF, citing Ritter & O’Reilly, 2025). Publicly funded AOD services provided nearly 235,500 treatment episodes to around 131,500 clients in 2022–23 (AIHW) — a meaningful effort, but a fraction of the need. In 2024–25, more than 1 in 5 (21%) treatment clients were aged 20–29, and 7.7% were aged 10–19 (AIHW, Early Insights, 2026).
Relapse: The Challenge That Follows Treatment
Even for those who do access formal treatment, the journey does not end at discharge. Approximately 50% of people who complete addiction treatment go on to relapse (Ray Hader Clinic, citing Australian research). Evidence suggests that individuals who attempt recovery without structured support are significantly less likely to achieve long-term sobriety goals. Research also indicates that the most effective pathway involves residential rehabilitation for two to three months followed by ongoing outpatient or community-based support.
Medications proven to reduce alcohol relapse are available and can be prescribed by general practitioners, yet they remain underutilised in the general Australian population (Drug and Alcohol Review / PMC, 2024) — pointing to both awareness and access barriers that extend well beyond the clinic walls.
Where Aftercare and Recovery Coaching Fit
The data tells a clear story: formal clinical treatment, even when accessed, is rarely sufficient on its own. The period immediately following treatment — or for the hundreds of thousands who never enter a formal programme — represents a critical and underserved window. Structured, sustained support during early and ongoing recovery significantly improves outcomes.
This is the gap that non-clinical recovery coaching is designed to fill. Services like Redwood Recovery — operating across Sydney, Melbourne, and the Gold Coast — provide consistent, accountability-focused support outside the clinical system. Recovery coaching does not diagnose, treat, or make medical claims. It works alongside clinical care (or independently for those who have completed it) to help individuals build the daily structure, skills, and community that long-term recovery requires.
With half a million Australians missing out on formal help each year, and roughly half of those who do receive treatment going on to relapse, the conversation about recovery must extend beyond the treatment episode — into the months and years that follow.
Data sources: AIHW National Drug Strategy Household Survey 2022–23 (published 2024); Ritter & O’Reilly, Drug and Alcohol Review, 2025; Alcohol and Drug Foundation, 2025; AIHW Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Services in Australia: Early Insights, 2026; Drug and Alcohol Review / PMC, 2024.