Alcohol continues to be one of the most addictive drugs. On average, it is the substance that generates the most hook-up in women and the third in men, behind cocaine and heroin. This is reflected in the study “Profile of addictions in 2022. The attention of users of the UNAD network”. The report, the largest state investigation into drug dependence and other addictions, points out that one in four people who sought help for an addiction problem in 2022 were women, a figure that does not reflect reality due to the social pressure and stigma attached to it. behave in them. There are many more.
“Alcohol consumption is very normalized at a social level, but it is the substance that generates the most addiction,” they report from UNAD. The sample collects the data and experiences of 47,033 people who in 2022 decided to ask for help. 25% of those attended were women, one in four compared to one in five the previous year, explained Luciano Poyato, president of UNAD, a network of NGOs that intervenes in the field of addictions with or without substance.
In the profile of women who have asked for help for a substance addiction problem, the majority consume alcohol, and also cocaine, are between 34 and 41 years old, have no studies, are unemployed and are mothers. They started using between the ages of 18 and 25 and have some mental problem. With regard to men, the profile of those served “uses harder drugs,” explains Encarnación Pámpanas, the entity’s secretary. These are people with primary education, who do not have children and the drugs they consume the most are cocaine and heroin and have been doing so since they were minors. The entity calls for more legislation to protect these people and young people.
The study has tried to give a gender perspective to a problem, that of addiction, in which the data of affected women are hidden behind the stigma and social pressure, because they are traditionally in charge of care, Felisa Pérez lamented Antón, vice president of UNAD. And in this sense, the increase in the consumption of anxiolytics and sleeping pills is also worrying. They account for 6% of care for addictions in women and 3% in men. For this reason, from UNAD they ask for a review of the excessive medicalization of women that is imposed from health centers. “Medication is sometimes the fastest way to solve a problem, but its tendency to increase consumption must be stopped,” warns Pámpanas.
The report also provides data on non-substance addictions, which have accounted for 21% of those treated. A third of the women who have asked for help in this area were under 18 years of age. Bingo followed by slots are two of the main addictions. In men, whose affected range is from 18 to 49 years old, sports betting is the main addiction, followed by slot machines. In addition to gambling, there is concern about the increase in addiction to social networks.
Faced with this situation, from UNAD they demand a more solid state care network (and without so many differences between regions), greater planning in prevention, in addition to the need to shield the rights of people with addictions and a non-punitive law that protects to minors from the effects of alcohol consumption.
