What is treatment?

A range of support and treatment services are available across New South Wales.
For many people, their first point of contact for treatment is their doctor who will usually know them and their medical history. A doctor can provide information about options and referral to appropriate treatment services.

People can also gain access to a range of drug and alcohol treatment and support services delivered by Local Health Districts and Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) by contacting the relevant local Drug and Alcohol Helpline/Intake Office that can provide information, triage and referral. The Alcohol and Drug Information Service (ADIS) on 1800 250 015 can direct you to your local Helpline/Intake Office.

Alcohol and Drug Information Service (ADIS) is a NSW wide free 24 hour, 7 days a week telephone service providing education, information, referral, crisis counselling and support about illegal drugs such as heroin, ice and cannabis, and legal drugs such as alcohol. This service is for people affected by drugs, as well as their family, friends and professionals.

ADIS can also provide contact information to assist people to access appropriate treatment services.

Call ADIS on 1800 250 015 or start a Web Chat with an ADIS counsellor online Monday to Friday, 8.30am – 5pm, including public holidays.

Psychosocial treatments are considered to be the foundation of drug and alcohol treatment. The basic components of any psychosocial intervention include: screening and assessment, treatment planning and goal setting, implementation of the specific intervention and follow-up.

In general, psychosocial interventions will have five main goals:

1. Engage the client in treatment
2. Reduce problematic drug and alcohol use to non-harmful levels (may mean abstinence)
3. Prevent relapse to pre-treatment levels of problematic drug and alcohol use
4. Address lifestyle issues to encourage adherence to drug and alcohol goals
5. Improve the psychosocial status of the client.

Psychosocial treatment may be offered in an individual or group-based format, according to client need. Intervention such as brief intervention, counselling and relapse prevention are provided through a range of public drug and alcohol services and non-government organisations (NGOs).

Brief interventions are generally between 5-30 minutes in duration, and can be delivered across a range of health settings (eg. general practice, hospital wards, emergency departments, NGOs, community, etc.). Because of the brief nature of these interventions, they can be delivered opportunistically in both inpatient and outpatient settings by a range of specialist and generalist professionals who have been trained the use of these approaches.

Brief interventions for alcohol and other drugs are designed to reduce substance use by facilitating health behaviour change. They also aim to increase an individual’s understanding around the risks associated with use, highlight the importance of reducing use, and recommend strategies that assist in changing potentially harmful behaviours.

In drug and alcohol counselling, a person talks to someone who understands drug and alcohol issues. This conversation is confidential. The counsellor may be able to help the individual reconsider their alcohol or drug use. Counselling is the most common form of psychosocial treatment and there are a variety of approaches to counselling and can be delivered one-to-one or in a group setting.

A counsellor can help a person to reflect on their thinking and behaviour to make choices and changes about their substance use. A counsellor may also be able to help a person to find out about other treatments that work and help them to get access to them.

If a person was dependent on alcohol or drugs and has recently stopped, counselling can also help them keep up these changes through relapse prevention strategies. It can help people plan ways to cope with triggers that might push them back to using. Counselling can also support the person if they are facing problems in life, such as financial or relationship issues, and/ or mental health issues.

Families or other support people are sometimes included in counselling sessions. Some services also offer group counselling, where a group of people with similar concerns can meet together. Group members can support each other and can learn from other group members and from the counsellor. There are free services available.

Withdrawal management or detoxification (detox) is a process of cutting back or stopping the use of alcohol or other drugs while reducing unpleasant symptoms and the risks of harm.

Withdrawal occurs in alcohol or drug-dependent people who stop or considerably reduce their use. The body may experience a range of symptoms. Some people become sick when they stop using and may need support or treatment to get through withdrawal symptoms. This can be an opportunity for planning for ongoing treatment to help avoid going back to alcohol or other drug use.

There are different types of environments that withdrawal management takes place. This includes home-based, though an outpatient service, such as a drug and alcohol service, an NGO or a GP, and in a residential or inpatient withdrawal unit.

Inpatient and outpatient withdrawal management services can be provided by public drug and alcohol services, public hospitals, GPs and NGOs, many of whom are equipped to provide withdrawal management services and continuing aftercare and follow up support in the community.

Some withdrawals have risks: for example, some people have seizures when stopping alcohol or benzodiazepines. Medication can be provided to manage these risks and symptoms through a withdrawal management (detox) program. It is recommended that people who are likely to experience these risks seek treatment in an inpatient unit.

A thorough assessment by a clinician is necessary to help someone decide which service is best for their withdrawal management needs. It is recommended that someone seek advice from a health professional if they are thinking of stopping using alcohol or other drugs.

For a list of NSW Health funded withdrawal management and residential rehabilitation services visit the NSW Health Withdrawal management and residential rehabilitation services page.

NSW has a diverse, strong and effective non-government drug and alcohol sector which provides services to individuals, families and communities.

Over 50 drug and alcohol specialist services operate across NSW. A similar number provide drug and alcohol service delivery as part of a broader health and/or social welfare service. The most commonly provided services across the sector are: counselling, case management, residential rehabilitation, and information/education as part of a health promotion and harm prevention programs. NGOs also provide withdrawal management services, diversion programs and limited opioid treatment therapies and programs.

A residential treatment service is a 24-hour, staffed, residential treatment program that offers intensive, structured interventions after withdrawal from alcohol and/or other drugs. Residential services include residential treatment programs and therapeutic communities. These services provide an appropriate environment in which to address the underlying causes of alcohol or other drug dependence.

Residential treatment services aim to achieve lasting change and to assist people to connect back into the general community after treatment. Residential programs generally include living skills training, parenting skills, case management and counselling using cognitive behaviour therapy or motivational interviewing. Most programs use group work as part of a structured program.

Many residential services take a long term approach to treatment to help people achieve a drug and alcohol free lifestyle. Length of rehabilitation can vary a few weeks to over a year. 

For a list of NSW Health funded withdrawal management and residential rehabilitation services visit the NSW Health Withdrawal management and residential rehabilitation services page.

The NSW Opioid Treatment Program (OTP), also known as opioid agonist treatment or opioid substitution treatment, provides pharmacotherapy and support services to people with an opioid dependence. Treatment may be provided as a short term measure to assist people to stop using other opioids, or for long term maintenance.

The OTP is provided through public clinics, private clinics, general practitioners (GPs) and community pharmacies, and correctional facilities, and may be provided alongside other treatments such as counselling or residential rehabilitation. The pharmacotherapy medicines used in the NSW OTP are methadone, buprenorphine – including depot buprenorphine, given in an injection under the skin weekly or monthly – and buprenorphine-naloxone.

For further information visit the Opioid Treatment Program page.

The Stimulant Treatment Program (STP) provides a specialised treatment option for stimulant users. The STP is delivered through several clinics including: Darlinghurst (St Vincent’s Hospital); Newcastle (Hunter New England Drug and Alcohol Service); Illawarra Shoalhaven; Mid North Coast; Northern NSW and Western Sydney Local Health Districts.

The STP provides clinical support for clients presenting to mental health, accident and emergency services and general practitioners as well as those who self-refer. The program improves the health and social outcomes of people who use amphetamines including those with comorbid mental health issues through provision of psychosocial support services such as counselling and relapse prevention. The services also provide support for families and carers.

For further information contact the Stimulant Treatment Line on (02) 9361 8088 or 1 800 101 180

Dedicated cannabis clinics are located at Parramatta, the Central Coast, Bathurst/Orange, Sutherland, Newcastle, Port Macquarie, Coffs Harbour, Lismore and Tweed Heads. The clinics have been set up to stand apart from the mainstream drug and alcohol treatment services and provide intensive clinical interventions and treatment to dependent cannabis users with complex needs, including clients with mental health issues.

The clinics aim to reduce the health, social and legal problems and risk of harm associated with cannabis use, and to assist people using cannabis who want to become abstinent.

To find clinic locations visit the Your Service Hub page and search cannabis clinics. 

Hospital Drug and Alcohol Consultation Liaison services are specialist services operating in hospital settings providing consultation (advice regarding the management of alcohol and other drug related issues for referred patients), and liaison (enhancing capacity of generalist health workers to manage people with alcohol and other drug issues in their routine clinical work). These services see people in Emergency Departments and hospital wards.

The aim of CL is to enhance identification of patients with drug and alcohol problems and provide access to specialist services for support, treatment advice and assistance with the management of the condition.

For more information on CL visit the drug and alcohol treatment page on the NSW Health website. 

The IDAT Program provides short term care, with an involuntary supervised withdrawal component, to protect the health and safety of people with severe substance dependence that have experienced, or are at risk of, serious harm and whose decision making capacity is considered to be compromised due to their substance use.

The IDAT Program is a state-wide programs delivered out of Royal North Shore Hospital North Sydney and Bloomfield Hospital Orange. The Program provides up to 28 days inpatient involuntary treatment and 3-6 months of voluntary community based treatment and support.

For more information on the IDAT program visit the drug and alcohol treatment page on the NSW Health website. 

The MERIT program is a court based diversion program that allows arrested defendants with illicit drug use problems to be assessed for suitability to undertake treatment and rehabilitation under bail conditions. As a result of that assessment, Magistrates can bail defendants to attend dedicated drug treatment services created through specific MERIT program funding.

For more information on the MERIT program visit the court diversion page on the NSW Health website. 

The Adult Drug Court is a specialised court, operating under the Drug Court Act 1998 with the aim of breaking the cycle of drug dependency, criminal activity and imprisonment. The Court targets drug-dependent adult offenders who are facing a custodial sentence and offers the option of drug treatment while on parole or probation.

The Drug Courts are located at Newcastle, Parramatta and the Downing Centre Central Sydney. The system works with close cooperation between Department of Justice, Justice Health and Forensic Mental Health Network, several Location Health Districts and a range of Non-Government Organisations which assist in providing drug treatment including residential rehab.