SPECIAL EVENT AT 62ND SESSION OF THE UN COMMISSION ON NARCOTIC DRUGS

Last March 18, 2019, in the first day of the 62nd Session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs, hold the SPECIAL EVENT: EVIDENCE-BASED TREATMENT AND THERAPEUTIC COMMUNITIES AS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE HEALTH SYSTEM. This high level event was organized by the Governments of Greece and Spain, the Therapy Center for Dependent Individuals-KETHEA, Association Proyecto Hombre, the World Federation of Therapeutic Communities, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Greatest experts and researchers took part of the panel.

Substance Use Disorders (SUDs) constitute a public health and security problem both in developed and developing countries, whilst Therapeutic Communities (TCs) are an essential method for the treatment of addictive disorders. This special event focused on the latest science of TCs models in the field of drug-dependence treatment and care. Experiences from peers and fields were shared to complement research from qualitative perspectives, sharing an updated picture of TCs worldwide.

This special event was also the occasion to present an innovative study about the effectiveness of TCs, implications for public health and prevention-action policies. The report contains the results of a study conducted with a sample of people in treatment in Greece and Spain. The target of this investigation is to analyse the association between family history of substance use, co-occurring mental health problems and history of emotional, physical or sexual abuse, with severity of drug dependence (ASI total score/domain) and treatment outcomes.

Through educational-therapeutic interventions, residents can modify habits, thought patterns and adjust their emotional management to overcome substance use disorder by becoming active members of society. The treatment consists in the evaluation, adjustment and supervision of the areas: behavioral, cognitive, affective, neurological, family, social, academic and work. The basic tools are confrontation, self-help and feedback.

This research report has been performed by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Kethea (from Greece) and Proyecto Hombre (from Spain), which are fully aware of the need for scientific evidence to support the interventions that are made in the field of addictions (practice evidence based).