Reaching out to women, the pending challenge against alcoholism: "We struggle to ask for help."

BarcelonaEva Boiso hasn't had a drink for a year, something unthinkable when she began detox treatment last August. She recalls how she went from being a social drinker to compulsive drinking almost without realizing it, driven by many different problems that led her to take refuge in addiction. For three years, she says, she was dominated by alcohol, arguments, and lies. She quit her job to keep drinking, which she did mostly in secret, at home, only in sight of her children and partner. She didn't know how to get out of this situation. She was depressed and could drink 16 beers in an afternoon, but no matter how many cans she drank, she couldn't calm her discomfort, which was growing. Finally, her children gave her an ultimatum: she had to get help because they couldn't take it anymore at home.

Then, Boiso knocked on the door of Projecte Home. Almost a year after starting treatment, she is about to reclaim the life she had lost to alcoholism. He now acknowledges that he should have started it earlier, but believes that social stigma and invisibility that women with addictions suffer especially, stopped her. "It's harder for us alcoholic women to ask for help," she admits. Specific for women, where she will offer specific attention to their needs with the aim of improving access to therapies.

The organization held a press conference this Wednesday to review its activity. She doesn't drink, nor does she take anti-anxiety medications, and she is still very excited about this new stage. They have suffered a lot throughout the process, but they are also proud of their progress, and she is clear that the best way to compensate them is to show them that she can continue with her life. "They tell me I'm very strong, and that gives me a lot of drive to continue. Cocaine and alcohol

Last year, Projecte Home Catalunya treated 14% more addiction cases than the previous year, especially for cocaine and alcohol, which account for more than 80% of treatment starts. Canals lamented. These have been the substances that cause the most addiction for years, but she points to a lack of awareness that does exist with other drugs, such as fentanyl, cannabis candy, or cough, Popularly known as pink cocaine.

Furthermore, Cristina Vidal, director of the Therapeutic Area of Proyecto Home Catalunya, has warned that cocaine has broken all barriers and is present in all social environments, regardless of socioeconomic level, gender, and age. "We see widespread use among men, women, adults, and young people. Also in more marginalized environments, which breaks the classic stereotypes of a drug associated with more affluent classes," she stated. The same is true of alcohol, which is "widely used," which favors "greater ease in developing an addiction and at the same time multiplies the risk situations when the decision is made to stop using," the expert concluded.

According to the report, although there is usually one primary substance that motivates the initiation of treatment, 58.2% of users consume two or more substances at the same time, which is known as polydrug use. The most common combinations are cocaine and alcohol, and cocaine, alcohol, and cannabis. Among men, alcohol and gambling are common, while among women, the combination is alcohol and psychotropic drugs.