Addiction, a mental illness
Addictions are a chronic health problem that generates changes in people’s lives. Excessive consumption of certain substances causes significant psychological, social and physical consequences.
Addiction, as defined by the World Health Organisation, is a mental health disorder and a behavioural disorder characterised by the compulsive need to consume a substance or perform an activity despite all the negative consequences it implies. Substance-related addictions include, mainly, those associated with alcohol, drugs, certain medicines and even tobacco; but also behavioural addictions, which are increasingly present in society, such as dependence on gambling, work or sex. Moreover, in this last group, and in the midst of the technological and digital era, it is important to add a new dependence linked to social networks.
Addiction is considered a disease and its negative consequences are numerous. This extreme dependence can affect the ability to carry out essential day-to-day activities, such as going to work, and can increase the probability of suffering from sleep disorders, mental health problems, and other health problems or cardiovascular diseases, among others. Although in many cases it can be complex, addictions are (and should be) treatable from a medical and psychological point of view.
The profile of addiction
In Spain, 75% of the people treated in 2022 for substance addiction were men. According to the report Profile of addictions in 2022, produced by UNAD’s Network of Attention to Addictions, cocaine, heroin and alcohol were the most commonly used substances. Women mainly use alcohol and cocaine, while men are more likely to use cocaine and heroin. In addition, the number of women treated for addiction to medicines such as sleeping pills has increased this year by 22% compared to 2022.
In terms of behavioural addictions, the main addiction for women is bingo (31 %) and slot machines, and the most popular online addiction is video games (44 %), while for men, sports betting is the most popular in both areas. Finally, the report places the profile of the average addicted patient between 34 and 41 years of age, with primary education completed.
A social impact
Currently, according to the latest Survey on Alcohol and Drugs in Spain EDADES 2022, alcohol and tobacco are the substances that start to be consumed at an early age, around 16 years old. When it comes to illegal drugs, however, cannabis tops the list and is first used at the age of 18. The World Drug Report 2023 prepared by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) notes that more than 296 million people used drugs in 2021 and that the number of people suffering from drug use disorders has also soared to 39.5 million people. In other words, there has been a 45 % increase in ten years.
The United Nations also warns that the youth population is the most vulnerable to drug use, as well as the most affected by drug use disorders. And in their global report they add an example: in Africa, 70 % of people in treatment are under 35 years old and the main difficulty of medical approach is with the treatment of these addictive disorders. In 2021, only 1 in 5 people suffering from drug-related problems were in treatment.
Another significant obstacle observed by the UNODC is the rise of synthetic drugs, which may be due to their ease and speed of production, as well as their low cost due to the lack of regulation and criminal groups that are transforming the illegal market. In addition, the rise of one of the most popular drugs in recent months, fentanyl, has radically altered the opioid market in the United States. In 2021, most of the 90,000 overdose deaths in the country were already related to illegally produced fentanyl. In 2022, the drug accounted for around three-quarters of overdose deaths.
