The Provincial Council Approves a Plan to Prevent Addictive Behaviours in Young People

The Provincial Council of Alicante has approved the Provincial Plan for Drug Dependencies and Other Addictive Disorders 2024-2027 to reverse the data reflecting the high incidence of alcohol and other drug consumption among minors in the province. "The Valencian Community records the highest prevalence of mental disorders, with an 11% risk of mental health issues in young people under 15 years, with very high percentages in alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, tranquilizers, or internet use," explained the area deputy, Loreto Serrano.

In this regard, one of the objectives of the new Drug Dependency Plan is "to focus on prevention and address the issue of addictions from normality and not from anomaly or stigma," stated the provincial official, who specified that surveys to develop the National Drug Plan reflect that the prevalence of alcohol consumption in the province of Alicante is 6.2%, eight-tenths more than the Community as a whole and 1.1 points more than the national average.

Regarding tobacco, its consumption in Alicante shows values similar to the rest of the country, but in the case of cannabis, the prevalence -6.1%- is higher than the regional -5.8%- and national -4.6%- levels. It is also noteworthy the age of onset in consumption: 13 years for alcohol; 14 for tobacco and cannabis; and from 15 for other substances.

Regarding the internet, nearly 8% of Alicante schoolchildren make problematic use of video games, also highlighting that a quarter of minors present compulsive use problems, with our figures being similar to those of the rest of our Community and the whole of Spain.

The provincial Drug Dependency Plan involves the participation of professionals and is part of the recently signed agreement with the Department of Health to promote drug dependency prevention actions in those municipalities that do not have Community Prevention Units in Addictive Behaviours, setting this year's budget at 280,000 euros, in line with the Valencian Plan for Mental Health and Addictions 2024-2027.

The Plan includes 5 strategic lines and 13 actions. The first is the improvement of prevention, with the implementation of scientifically proven programs and providing technical support to municipalities, especially those with less than 20,000 inhabitants. The second line is to promote the participation of families, educational communities, and NGOs in prevention by offering guidance and technical support.

The third axis is to facilitate inter-institutional coordination for prevention by developing work protocols. The fourth focuses on improving the training level of professionals involved in prevention programs, offering an annual continuous training plan and facilitating their access to international curricula such as the European Prevention Curriculum (EUPC). Finally, the fifth line of the plan is to support research by promoting the conduct of studies and technical reports that provide data on specific needs.

"We are talking about the most ambitious project presented by the Provincial Council of Alicante in the field of addictions, with great challenges that encompass equity and innovation, with measures to which new ones will be added according to the needs of a changing reality so that at the conclusion of this plan our province will have provided an effective preventive response to the problem of addictions," concluded Loreto Serrano.