Alcohol, cannabis, and cocaine account for the highest demand for therapeutic attention at the Centre d'Atenció i Seguiment a les Drogodependències of L'Hospitalet de Llobregat. During 2025, the service attended to more than 1,500 people, and in more than 200 cases, alcohol appeared as the primary substance of consumption.
This data contrasts with the social perception of some of these substances. Dr. Óscar Pino, coordinator of the center, warns that alcohol accounts for 60% of the year's initial visits and adds that in recent years, requests for help due to problems with cannabis and cocaine have also increased.
Alcohol accounted for 60% of the year's initial visits
Pino places alcohol at the center of the care demand, despite it being a normalized substance in many social settings. In the 2025 report, the center attended to over 1,500 people and registered more than 200 users with alcohol as their primary substance of consumption.
The service coordinator also describes a pattern of escalation that begins in leisure contexts. Over time, this consumption shifts to being used to feel better, calm stress, or escape daily problems.
"Alcohol represents 60% of the initial visits we have during the year. But we have also found in recent years that there is an increase in the demand for help for problems with cannabis and cocaine." - Óscar Pino, coordinator of the Centre d'Atenció i Seguiment a les Drogodependències of L'Hospitalet de Llobregat
There, according to Pino, the function that the person attributes to the substance changes. The doctor explains that the transition to addiction occurs when consumption is no longer linked to leisure and becomes a way to alleviate discomfort.
"A category is given to the substance that is not what it should be. And when the line is crossed and substance use is to alleviate problems, that's when it becomes an addiction or a dependence on that substance." - Óscar Pino, coordinator of the Centre d'Atenció i Seguiment a les Drogodependències of L'Hospitalet de Llobregat
Óscar Pino warned of the impact of cannabis on adolescents
In addition to the increase in consultations for cannabis, the center emphasizes that its frequent use can lead to dependence and alter the perception of reality. Pino stresses that this capacity for harm coexists with a social image of low risk.
In adolescents, he adds, the consequences can affect learning because the brain is still developing. He also links cannabis with psychotic episodes and the possibility of developing schizophrenia.
"We are in a society where cannabis consumption is legalized. But that does not mean it is a harmless substance and that it does not have high toxicity. We must think that especially when an adolescent begins to consume cannabis with an immature brain, this substance can cause many school problems because it affects neurons that are linked to learning. And cannabis is also closely linked to psychotic episodes and can even develop schizophrenia." - Óscar Pino, coordinator of the Centre d'Atenció i Seguiment a les Drogodependències of L'Hospitalet de Llobregat
In response, the head of the center places prevention in educational centers as one of the main tools to delay or avoid the onset of consumption. Óscar Pino maintains that preventive education in schools and institutes is key to informing about the effects of alcohol and other drugs.