On November 15, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Abuse released its annual report, a nearly 100-page document that lays out recent changes in drug use trends throughout the European nations and proposed prevention and intervention policies—including drug rehab—that will work to counteract the evolving, but ever-present, use of substances.
Central to the report’s power is its insistence upon comprehensive research and analysis to inform addiction treatment programmes. From this, the report proposes treatment measures that might best target those vulnerable to substance abuse and addiction. For example, according to the EMCDDA report, 38% of those entering drug rehab in Europe had completed only primary education; the report suggests that incorporating vocational training into addiction treatment programmes would improve addicts’ employability after leaving drug rehab, ensuring a more stable post-treatment life and increasing the chances for a successful recovery.
In order to build effective responses to drug abuse, the report also emphasizes pinpointing specific trends in substance abuse: which drugs are increasing in popularity, and what new substances are on the market. Cannabis, amphetamines, and cocaine were among the highest used substances throughout the European region; the report chronicles recent scientific findings about the effects of each substance, information essential to an informed addiction treatment programme. For instance, EMCDDA’s report cites a rise in addicts entering rehab for cannabis addiction, a response, the report suggests, to recent findings that cover the ill-effects of cannabis use, which may be more harmful than previously believed.
Literature such as EMCDDA’s annual report is integral in building addiction treatment programmes founded on comprehensive research. More than that, EMCDDA’s annual report represents an openness to using new, and well-informed conclusions in creating the most effective drug rehabs.
