Italy Drug Addiction and Treatment
The Pattern of Addiction and Life Problems that Indicate the Need for Treatment
Nearly three-quarters of those seeking addiction treatment in Italy were addicted to opiates. Approximately 14 percent were seeking help for cocaine addiction, and nearly 10 percent needed drug rehabilitation for cannabis. Other drugs causing the need for drug addiction treatment were Amphetamine-Type Stimulants and Ecstasy.
In 2007, more than half of all fatal car accidents were attributed to drivers under the influence of psychoactive substances, including alcohol consumption.
Fortunately for Italy and all Italians, there are several Narconon centers that are completely devoted to restoring this beautiful country to full, drug-free health once again. These are residential drug rehabilitation centers where Italians can go to safely withdraw from the substance that got them addicted and then go on to rebuild the life that was destroyed by drugs.
In the northern regions, there are two residential treatment facilities, one just west of Asti, near the border with France and the Alps.
Further south one resides on the coast in Pesaro and another in the mountains above Fabriano. Outside of Rome, you will find Narconon Argo, and another in the Calabria region.
The famous “boot heel” of Italy has a Narconon drug and alcohol treatment center in the university town of Lecce.
With this many addiction treatment facilities, thousands of Italians can break the hold of addiction and regain productive, enjoyable lives.
Contact us for more information on the Narconon drug rehab center in Italy.
The Escalation of Italy’s Drug Problem
Italy’s drug problems began to escalate after the Second World War when the gangster Lucky Luciano was deported from America back to Italy. Having run in organized crime circles in the U.S., he knew there would be a market for heroin, and he set up channels for high-volume heroin trafficking using the crime families of Italy. This was the beginning of the famed French Connection that was portrayed in the 1971 movie of the same name. Raw morphine base was shipped to Marseilles, France, where it was converted to heroin and then shipped to the U.S. At its peak, an estimated 95% of all heroin coming into the U.S. came via the French Connection. But some was always available for appetites at home in Italy.
Organized crime families also began to traffic cocaine in 1973, bringing it in from Turkey, Syria, Bangladesh, and India. Cocaine poured into all major cities in Italy but heroin caused larger problems.
In the late 1980s, there were an estimated 100,000 heroin users in Milan. Italian police called Milan the “Heroin Capital of Europe.” Between 1986 and 1988, the number of people who died of heroin overdoses tripled, surpassing the 800 mark. A 2009 report estimated heroin users in all of Italy at 305,000.
Today, most heroin travels from Turkey to Albania and then makes a short hop across the water to Italy. Approximately 45% of the heroin that comes from Albania is intended for to supply Italian appetites. The rest travels on to other Western European countries. Almost all the cocaine trafficked in Italy starts from Columbia or other South American criminal organizations.
Increase in Overdose Deaths Marks Higher Consumption Rates
Between 1984 to 2000, overdose deaths rose steadily among both men and women. The highest overdose rates for both males and females were seen in people between 25 and 34 years of age. Higher rates were seen in Northern Italy but the South saw the largest increases. These increases are considered to indicate that substance abuse increased in the general population in this time period.
Out of 5190 overdose deaths from this time period that were studied, 96 percent of all deaths were attributed to heroin. In about half these deaths it was found that the person who died had a mixture of three or more drugs (heroin, benzodiazepines, cannabinoids, cocaine, methadone) that were likely to have contributed to death. It was also noted that when a person dropped out of addiction treatment, it was common for them to fatally overdose on opioids soon afterward.
Millions of Italians are Users of Either Cocaine or Cannabis
According to a U.N report, use of cocaine in Italy doubled between 2001 and 2005, and then stayed at the same level till 2008. Currently, Italy is Europe’s third largest cocaine market. An estimated 850,000 Italians are cocaine users.
And, like in most other parts of the world, cannabis (marijuana) is broadly used. As an index of the amount of this drug being moved throughout the country, more than 43,000 pounds (nearly 20,000 kg) of the drug were seized in 2007. The rates of substance abuse featuring cannabis doubled between 2003 and 2007, rising from 7.1 percent to 14.6 percent of the Italian population above 15 years of age. In all, there were an estimated 5.7 million cannabis users in 2007.