Drugs: Problem of the present or monster of the past?

RECOVER: 2023-2-LT01-K210-ADU-000185371

The 'European Drug Report 2022: Trends and Developments' provides some very significant data that allow us to understand how the drug problem in Europe is an extremely topical issue. In 2022, it is estimated that about 1.2% of the European population,  3.5 million people, had used cocaine, 2.2 million of whom were in the 15-35 age group. Still with regard to MDMA use, the report states that about 0.9 per cent of the population had used it, about 2.6 million people. In this case, the very young appear to be the main users, about 1.9 million, this being a drug that is mainly used in festive environments and attracts very young people. Finally, as far as heroin consumption is concerned, it can be noted that all the information struggle waged in the 1980s/90s is bearing fruit. Opiates are in fact the least used drug in the EU, affecting about 1 million people (0.33%), in this case the age of users is higher, obviously there is still a lot of work to be done.

Analysing the reported data, therefore, we realise that drug use is still common in EU countries, but what drives a person to take drugs, still in 2024 despite the fact that it is now public knowledge that drugs are detrimental to mental and physical health?

• Lack of institutions: it is no coincidence that drugs are mainly consumed in neighbourhoods and cities where institutions are lacking. A 16-year-old boy living in a neighbourhood that does not allow him to see an alternative street, because it simply does not offer healthy socialising spaces, will be more attracted to drug use, perhaps starting out of boredom;

• Lack of job opportunities: According to Eurostat data, the unemployment rate in Europe will be around 6% in 2024, of which 15% will be youth unemployment. However, there are some countries that are particularly affected by the problem,  Italy has an unemployment rate of 7.2%, of which 21.8% is youth unemployment. A young person who does not succeed in entering the world of work is a young person who can not see future prospects, and this very often leads to a state of depression that induces them to use drugs;

• Emulating wrong models: very frequently nowadays we see films in which the protagonists use drugs, very often they live dream lives that arouse admiration in the minds of the spectators. I do not want to blame the world of cinema in any way, but the role of parents or educators in making the distinction between fiction and reality is crucial, especially at a young age;

• Lack of information: sometimes it is taken for granted that the population is informed about the actual dangers of drugs, clearly if the data on use are still considerable this is not the case. Everyone of course knows that drugs are bad for mental and physical health, but it would be necessary to distribute information that is not just rhetoric but that actually explains how drugs can ruin people's lives, for example how drugs can be harmful to family and work relationships.

So what is the right way to wage war on drugs?

Obviously the main avenue should be prevention, whether through institutions offering alternatives to drug use, including job creation, or through information. However, when we talk about the rehabilitation of drug addicts, it is first of all necessary to move away from the old 'blaming' approach. In the past, in part because of a strong religious component, there was a tendency to blame the addict, but this path often leads to even stronger states of depression, which in turn leads to greater substance consumption. Instead, it is much more effective to work on an approach that tries to understand the motivations that led the person to start using drugs in the past, and then try to show them different perspectives, not only on a theoretical level, but also and above all on a practical level, for example by teaching them a job that allows them to live with dignity, or by creating social spaces and opportunities to meet former drug addicts, thus enabling them not to feel judged. It must also be remembered that the most critical phase is the post-recovery phase, when the former drug addict could relapse into using the substance, for this it is necessary to structure very long paths that follow the subjects for years even after detoxification.