Census of drug and alcohol treatment services in Northern Ireland: 1 March 2017

Date published: 1 August 2017

The Census summarises information collected from statutory and non-statutory drug and alcohol treatment services to establish the number of persons in treatment in Northern Ireland for drug and/or alcohol misuse.

The bulletin presents information on the number of persons in treatment on 1 March 2017.

Key Findings

• In Northern Ireland on 1 March 2017, a total of 5,969 persons were reported to be in treatment for misuse of alcohol and/or drugs.
• This number has been relatively stable over the last ten years with the exception of 2014 (8,553 persons). It should be noted that additional lottery-funded alcohol projects were running during 2014 which would have contributed to the increased number of clients in that year.
• Of those in treatment, over two-fifths (43%) were in treatment for alcohol only, a third (34%) were in treatment for drugs only, and a quarter (23%) were in treatment for both drugs and alcohol.
• Over the last decade, there has been a change in the type of treatment being sought; there has been a relative fall in the proportion of those receiving treatment for alcohol from four-fifths (80%) to two-thirds (66%) whereas the proportion of clients in treatment for drugs has increased from 38% to 57%.
• Of those in treatment for alcohol and /or drugs, three-fifths (60%) were males aged 18 and over, with more than a quarter (28%) being females aged 18 and over. Three times as many male clients under 18 (9%) were in treatment than female clients under 18 (3%).
• A quarter of clients were receiving treatment in the Belfast Trust area. The remaining Trusts were around a fifth with the exception of the South Eastern Trust at 14%.
• Three-fifths of clients (60%) received treatment through statutory organisations, with 37% receiving treatment though non-statutory organisations, and 3% receiving treatment in prison.
• The majority of clients (89%) were being treated in a non-residential setting. Those who were being treated for both drugs and alcohol were more likely to have received treatment in a residential setting (17%) than those being treated for either drugs only (1%) or alcohol only (6%).