Youth AOD Rehabs receive a higher proportion of enquiries and referrals regarding ice and methamphetamines compared to short term and community based treatment options.

This is according to YSASs Referrals and Enquiries Monitoring Project that has been tracking the primary substances of young people when they first refer to or make inquiries about, drug treatment options.

The project has revealed that most direct enquiries and referrals to YSAS youth AOD sites are still regarding cannabis as a primary drug. The clear exception is Youth Residential Rehabilitation facility Birribi, where 65% of enquiries are related to amphetamines. Interestingly Victoria’s other youth specific residential rehab Tandana, reports similar trends. 

So what accounts for a difference between service types?

A developing community understanding that heavy and dependent methamphetamine use requires particular approaches, including long treatment timeframes, may be influencing referrers to favour service types they see as offering longer term structure.

Alternatively the increase in enquires regarding amphetamines and ice may also be a result of the fact that a high proportion of referrals to rehabs come from Justice related services, where  residential rehab is seen as an alternative to incarceration and where the effectiveness of other youth AOD service types may not always be understood.

Though early days, the Referrals and Enquiries Monitoring Project hopes to capture unique data that can help answering some of these questions.

Is your service interested in participating in the Youth AOD referral and enquiries monitoring project? Contact YoDAA for more information.