2020 has been an atypical year in every sense. The Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdown situation changed the pace of life for millions of people who found themselves unable to leave their homes for weeks. This did not only affect areas such as work or social life. In the field of drugs and addictions in general, the impact of this new reality was also noteworthy. This is what the Spanish Observatory on Drugs and Addictions (OEDA) analyzed. In the absence of a full data compilation, this body looked at aspects such as new admissions for addiction treatment or hospital emergencies due to substance abuse.
The situation before the pandemic
In recent years, drug consumption patterns in Spain have followed a trend that has more or less repeated itself year after year. Thus, we see how the three most consumed substances in our country are alcohol, cannabis, and cocaine, in that order. Alcohol is, by far, the most consumed substance. This is reflected in the 2019 data, where more than 77% of the population stated they had consumed alcoholic beverages at some point. Regarding illegal drugs, cannabis holds the first place, with 10.5% of the total population claiming to have consumed it. Finally, 2.5% said they had taken cocaine at some point during the year.
Compiling the data
The Spanish Observatory on Drugs and Addictions is responsible for coordinating data collection and analysis activities. It also disseminates information, both statistical and epidemiological, regarding drug consumption and its consequences or associated problems. Among the various indicators collected by this body, three are of interest to us: treatment admissions, hospital emergencies, and mortality due to acute reaction. All three correspond to the analysis of data provided by the Autonomous Communities within the Spanish Information System on Drugs and Addictions (SEIDA).
SEIDA collects annual information on new cases admitted for treatment in the outpatient addiction care network of the Autonomous Drug Plans. It also tracks emergencies related to the consumption of psychoactive substances in a sample of the main national hospitals. The collection of this data takes place at the end of the calendar year and involves a process of national data compilation and analysis. Although we do not yet have the annual results, a preliminary consultation with the Autonomous Communities in June has provided initial results. This has facilitated a first insight into what the lockdown has meant for drug consumption problems in Spain.
The addiction landscape during the pandemic
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New treatment admissions
If we look at treatment admissions to begin detoxification for psychoactive substance use, we can see a clear decline. Up to ten Autonomous Communities report a significant reduction, while two others estimate that the decline has been slight. The remaining Communities state they do not have sufficient information to perform a rapid assessment. Thus, according to the data provided by these institutions, the reduction in admissions for new treatments would average around 70%. No major changes are observed for either men or women. What also remains unchanged is the higher percentage of males in new treatment admissions, accounting for 76.6% of the total.
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Emergencies
Regarding emergencies related to the consumption of psychoactive substances, the information gathered at the time of data collection allows us to observe some trends in this regard. Firstly, there is also a decrease in emergencies during the lockdown period, although more moderate than in the previous section. On the other hand, several Autonomous Communities agree in pointing out a relatively smaller decrease in the case of women, with emergencies generally related to the consumption of alcohol and hypnosedatives. In men, who continue to represent the vast majority of those treated for these types of emergencies, the primary substances were alcohol and cocaine.
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Mortality due to acute reaction
Information regarding mortality associated with the consumption of psychoactive substances is collected retrospectively from forensic and toxicological sources. This means it is not yet possible to perform an assessment with a minimum level of reliability due to the current situation. However, there are some early signs that could indicate a slight reduction in cases, particularly in cases of violent death. This would be consistent with the decreases observed in the other indicators.
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