Living with an addiction: "It's a monster that moves your legs and drowns your reason."

Palm"People think you do it because you want to, that you drink five beers in a row because you like it. Because of that, it's gotten to the point where I hardly ever go to bars or attend social gatherings where alcohol is involved." This is the testimony of Joan, a 32-year-old who began consuming alcohol uncontrollably during his university years in Madrid. According to the experts consulted, his story sums up the feeling of incomprehension that many people with addictions have, an experience very similar to that of those who live with mental health problems. "You feel empathy for someone with Alzheimer's, but not for someone addicted to heroin," says Joan.

Addictions are not just a matter of behavior but also of mental disorders. No one is addicted because they want to, although habits and individual predisposition can make it easier to fall into them. For a person with alcohol problems, living in a country like Spain, where consumption is socially normalized and present everywhere, can be very complicated.

"I very rarely go to places where I know there will be alcohol. It's not because I drink it—I have that under control—but it makes me feel bad because it reminds me of very difficult times, both for me and my family," explains Joan. Despite having his consumption under control, he still feels uncomfortable in everyday situations. "If I go out with four or five people and two order a beer, two order a lager, and I order an orangeade, no one says anything to me, but I feel judged and watched," he admits. Even so, he says he has felt very supported by those around him, especially by his family, whom he admits to having given "a lot of trouble."

The coordinator of the Addictive Behavior Units (UCA), Antoni Zamora, confirms that families "suffer a lot" during the rehabilitation processes of their children, siblings, or nephews. Often, the patient doesn't recognize themselves as an addict, or perhaps they do, but don't want to start any treatment. This situation generates a very high level of frustration in the family environment. But Zamora emphasizes that it is necessary to respect the patient's autonomy in making decisions as much as possible. The UCAs also offer emotional support to families, to help them manage the discomfort and emotional burden. Their main function, says Zamora, is "to be there." "If the patient doesn't want treatment, it's difficult to manage, because they often live together. But you have to accompany them and wait for them to reconsider and accept help." On many occasions, families despair because they want to act immediately, to provide a quick solution to the problem, but this type of direct help is not always possible in the short term.

The involvement of families

Families can approach the professionals at the ACUs, but only if the patient gives their consent. The therapeutic teams try to show patients the importance of integrating them into the process. "Family overload is very high, because addictions are chronic illnesses and cause profound emotional exhaustion," explains Zamora. In the case of alcoholic patients—the most common addiction—the ACU has the Alcohol-Related Problems Units (UPRA), an inpatient service with eleven places for serious cases requiring intensive supervision. The average stay is between 10 and 14 days. The most common user profile is men between 45 and 50 years old, with a career and family support.

Finita is 68 years old and the mother of a 37-year-old man who has been using all kinds of anxiolytics, antidepressants, and tranquilizers for two decades. "He's a zombie. If he takes his usual dose, it no longer has any effect, so he takes two or three. Then he's flat all day. He can't work and lives with us," he explains. He often runs out of pills before it's time to renew his prescription. "He becomes frantic, violent, and on occasion, he has tried to attack us," he summarizes. There are also times when he decides to stop taking the medication, and then the rebound effect is devastating. "We sleep with one eye open, attentive to everything, because he completely transforms," he explains. This case is an example of an addiction fostered by the system itself: people who have been taking benzodiazepines for many years and, due to a lack of rigorous medical supervision, have developed a chronic dependency.

Projecte Home is another leading provider of care and support for people with addictions. Its centers in the Balearic Islands serve an average of 1,050 users daily. The most common profile is people between 38 and 40 years old. Twenty-three percent are women and 77% are men. The organization offers all kinds of resources and therapeutic communities tailored to different patient profiles, as well as support spaces for family members who want to learn how to cope with this reality. "What has increased the most are behavioral addictions linked to new technologies. That's why we have the Ciber program, aimed at young people addicted to screens, the internet, and gambling," explains Antoni Parets, director of projects and communications at Projecte Home.

Addictions are mental disorders that exhaust the person who suffers from them because they make them feel they have lost control. The detoxification processes carried out at the UCAs are not short and require great discipline and commitment. Some patients start and complete them, but others only attend for a few days, then disappear, and in some cases, never return. "I used to live in Madrid, and yes, I went to a support center for a while. Then I quit. My family was really angry and told me I didn't want to get better. The reality, however, is that I was really ashamed of what I'd ended up in. My addiction was a monster that moved my arms, my legs, and I couldn't see myself, exactly," Joan celebrates.