Drug treatment: mainly provided in community settings

An estimated 1.4 million people received treatment for illicit drug use in the European Union during 2015 (1.6 million including Norway and Turkey). Opioid users represent the largest group undergoing specialised treatment and consume the greatest share of available treatment resources, mainly in the form of substitution treatment. Cannabis and cocaine users are the second and third largest groups entering these services, with psychosocial interventions the main treatment modality for these clients. Differences between countries can be very large, however, with opioid users accounting for more than 90 % of treatment entrants in Estonia and less than 5 % in Hungary.

Trends in percentage of clients entering specialised drug treatment, by primary drug

The majority of drug treatment in Europe is provided in outpatient settings, with specialised outpatient centres representing the largest provider in terms of number of drug users treated. General healthcare centres are the second largest providers. This category includes general practitioners’ surgeries, which are important prescribers of opioid substitution treatment in some large countries such as Germany and France. Elsewhere, for example in Slovenia, mental healthcare centres may play a key role in outpatient treatment provision.

Numbers receiving drug treatment in Europe in 2015, by setting

Increasingly, a wide range of drug treatment interventions are also provided online. Internet-based interventions have the potential to extend the reach and geographical coverage of treatment programmes to people experiencing drug use problems who may not otherwise access specialist drug services.