{"id":18535,"date":"2025-01-11T19:42:29","date_gmt":"2025-01-11T18:42:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/?p=18535"},"modified":"2025-05-11T16:20:27","modified_gmt":"2025-05-11T15:20:27","slug":"drug-use-and-abuse-of-medicines-are-on-the-rise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/2025\/01\/drug-use-and-abuse-of-medicines-are-on-the-rise\/","title":{"rendered":"Drug use and abuse of medicines are on the\u00a0rise"},"content":{"rendered":"<header data-rocket-location-hash=\"a958a4e02512def1962799edcb763194\">\n<div class=\"container limited header\" data-rocket-location-hash=\"652519358cd8e624feac822be269081d\">\n<div class=\"header__language-menu\" data-rocket-location-hash=\"0e5b9b279ce7c758e3a7c43da9a36ad5\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.polytechnique-insights.com\/en\/home\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.polytechnique-insights.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/logo-1.svg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\u00a0 Polytechnique insights: A REVIEW BY INSTITUT POLYTECHNIQUE DE PARIS<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"page\" data-rocket-location-hash=\"517ef09d8197e8095fcd979c0584f446\">\n<div class=\"container\" data-rocket-location-hash=\"e6eb6fcccd8ab4e0754c54f80a5d14c0\">\n<div class=\"sticky-nav\" data-rocket-location-hash=\"da4a0bd5d378c23309f4ee9df88cd9be\">\n<div class=\"sticky-nav__inner\">\n<div class=\"limited\" data-rocket-location-hash=\"59afb29df5c7b0ea7c50e1a39256638e\">\n<div class=\"authors-item authors-item--marginTop\">\n<div class=\"infos\">\n<div><strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Guillaume Airagnes<\/strong><\/div>\n<div>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Lecturer at Universite\u00a0 Paris Cite<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"portrait\"><strong><span class=\"name\">\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Amine Benyamina<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n<div class=\"infos-header\">\n<div class=\"left\">\n<div class=\"poste\">\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Professor at Paris Saclay Faculty of Medicine<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"read-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"limited\">\n<div class=\"article-chronique-header\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\"><strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0assisted by Sophie Podevin<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-chronique-header\">\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Journaliste Scientifique, Ginkio<\/div>\n<div class=\"episode-article\" data-tracking-title=\"Drug use and abuse of medicines are on the\u00a0rise\" data-tracking-category=\"Society \/ Health and biotech\">\n<div class=\"episode-article-inner\">\n<div class=\"episode-article-right column\">\n<article class=\"episode-article-right-content\">\n<div class=\"episode-footer-infos\">\n<div class=\"episode-date\">\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-right\"><\/h6>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"authors\">\n<div class=\"authors-inner\">\n<div class=\"authors-items\">\n<div class=\"authors-item authors-item--marginTop\">\n<div class=\"infos\">\n<div class=\"infos-header\">\n<div class=\"left\">\n<div class=\"poste\">Key points:<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"episode-interviews-extrait\">\n<div class=\"js-sharethis\">\n<ul>\n<li>Addictions are widespread among the French population: in 2020, 25.5% of adults smoked every day and 10% drank at least one glass of alcohol a day.<\/li>\n<li>Addiction is based on criteria such as craving, continued consumption despite the dangers, or a withdrawal syndrome when the substance is stopped.<\/li>\n<li>In France, the most commonly used addictive substances are tobacco (responsible for 75,000 deaths a year), alcohol (41,000 deaths a year) and cannabis.<\/li>\n<li>There has been a marked increase in the use of psychostimulant drugs among adults since 2010, and diversion of opiate-based medicines is on the rise.<\/li>\n<li>Current research is focusing on studies specifically dedicated to drug users, to better identify effective therapies tailored to their profiles.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"js-sharethis\">\n<p>As the leading cause of a deregulation in the brain\u2019s reward circuit, addictions are still widespread among the French population. This is largely due to the widespread use of legal psychoactive substances: tobacco and alcohol, which are the two leading causes of premature death in France. In 2020, nearly 25.5% of adults smoked every day (12 million people) and 10% drank at least one glass of alcohol a day (5 million people). So, what is the situation for substance addictions in France for the coming\u00a0year?<\/p>\n<div data-episode=\"a-restricted-definition\">\n<h2><strong>A restricted definition<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<p>First of all, to qualify as an addiction, a person must meet at least 2 of the 11 criteria set out in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM\u20115), including: craving, a compelling need to consume the substance or perform the activity; loss of control over the quantity and time devoted to consumption; increased tolerance to the product; a strong desire to reduce doses; continued use despite the damage; or the presence of a withdrawal syndrome when the addictive behaviour is abruptly stopped\u2026<\/p>\n<p>To date, only addictions to substances (tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, opium and derivatives) or to video games and gambling are recognised as \u201caddictions\u201d. Social networking, sexual hyperactivity and sugar are not considered as such due to a lack of data and scientific evidence.<\/p>\n<div data-episode=\"top-three\">\n<h2><strong>Top three<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<p>In France, the most widely used addictive substances are still tobacco, alcohol and cannabis. The first two are responsible for 75,000 and 41,000 deaths a year respectively. These are terrifying figures, known but ignored because of\u00a0habit.<\/p>\n<p>In an article published on 20 October 2024<span style=\"font-size: 13.3333px;\">,<\/span>\u00a0Doctor Bernard Basset, chairman of the Addictions France association, and psychiatrist and addictologist Amine Benyamina, chairman of the F\u00e9d\u00e9ration Fran\u00e7aise d\u2019Addictologie (FFA), proposed a series of measures combining public health and government debt, such as taxing drinks according to their alcohol content, or introducing a minimum price per drink based on the Scottish model. \u201cIn France, we have a real cultural problem with alcohol and very powerful lobbies,\u201d says Amine Benyamina. \u201cAll public prevention policies are stifled or censored.\u201d And yet, according to data collected by the Constances epidemiological cohort, which numbered almost 200,000 people in 2018, 19.8% of men and 8% of women in the working population are thought to have a harmful use of alcohol.<\/p>\n<p>While the problem persists, it is changing. Starting with a major positive point made by Guillaume Airagnes, Director of the French Observatory of Drugs and Addictive Tendencies (OFDT) and Doctor of Psychiatry and Addictology: \u201cThe general consumption of substances such as tobacco and alcohol has been falling among young people since 2010.\u201d However, there was a downside at the time of Covid, when several addictive activities were on the increase during confinement<span style=\"font-size: 13.3333px;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, a clear increase in the use of psychostimulant drugs has been observed among adults since 2010, \u201calthough the levels of use in the general population remain incomparably lower than those for tobacco, alcohol or cannabis\u201d points out Guillaume Airagnes.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/2025\/01\/drug-use-and-abuse-of-medicines-are-on-the-rise\/lady-in-the-clouds\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-18536\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-18536 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/lady-in-the-clouds-640x432.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"432\" srcset=\"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/lady-in-the-clouds-640x432.jpg 640w, https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/lady-in-the-clouds-1024x691.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/lady-in-the-clouds-768x518.jpg 768w, https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/lady-in-the-clouds.jpg 1094w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-large\"><\/figure>\n<p>These substances, like ecstasy, have benefited from their image becoming much more commonplace. This is also the case for cocaine, the availability of which has risen steadily over the last ten years, and which used to be the social marker of a wealthy economic category. In 2021, 26.5 tonnes of cocaine were seized, a 67% increase on 2018. \u201cCocaine benefits from the tenacious stereotype that it does not produce dependence. In reality, while the signs of physical withdrawal are almost non-existent, it is one of the most psychologically tyrannical substances, with extremely powerful cravings,\u201d describes Amine Benyamina, who is also head of the psychiatry and addictology department at the Paul-Brousse hospital in Paris. This increase is set to continue. The 2020 lockdowns demonstrated the adaptability of the drug trade, with home delivery services, marketing, attractive packaging, the use of social networks and instant messaging, and even payments in cryptocurrency.<\/p>\n<div data-episode=\"misuse-of-medicines-as-a-new-drug\">\n<h2><strong>Misuse of medicines as a new\u00a0drug<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<p>Another less well-known development is the misuse of certain opiate-based drugs, such as codeine or tramadol, which are intended for therapeutic purposes. These are morphine derivatives with a less powerful analgesic effect than morphine. \u201cParadoxically, this makes them more addictive,\u201d explains Guillaume Airagnes. \u201cAs the psychoactive effects are less intense, this leads to greater compulsive consumption.\u201d Misuse of these drugs has been documented for around ten years and remains under close surveillance, although it still only concerns a \u201cvery small proportion of users\u201d the director of the OFDT points out.<\/p>\n<p>In his department, Amine Benyamina also sees new types of drug misuse: \u201cMore marginal but just as problematic is the use of pregabalin or LYRICA. This is a product designed to treat neuropathic pain or post-traumatic stress syndromes.\u201d This analgesic, which this time is not a morphine derivative, also has a strong addictive potential, encouraging patients to continue taking it beyond the prescription period.<\/p>\n<p>One of the first problems facing carers is the lack of information about drug users themselves. In fact, most of the data on addiction in France comes from surveys carried out on the general population to be more representative. But not for much longer! In April 2024, the first national e\u2011cohort open only to drug users was launched: ComPaRe Pratiques Addictives. \u201cWe already have several thousand subscribers,\u201d says Guillaume Airagnes, who is heading up the study. \u201cThe only condition to be eligible is to be a psychoactive substance user at the time of inclusion in the study. Of course, our aim is to follow up participants for at least 5\u00a0years, regardless of whether they continue to use substances.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The responses and the long-term follow-up will enable Guillaume Airagnes and his teams to explore several avenues of research: the question of multiple drug use, which seems to be the rule rather than the exception; the relationship between drug use and economic, demographic or professional situation; the study of the very strong stigmatisation phenomenon among these users, etc. These data will also enable us to better target effective therapies that are adapted to each profile.<\/p>\n<p>In its\u00a0<em>Guide pratique de psychoth\u00e9rapies les plus utilis\u00e9es en addictologie<\/em>\u00a0of May 2022, the F\u00e9d\u00e9ration Fran\u00e7aise d\u2019Addictologie lists and ranks the different therapies according to their clinical relevance. The behavioural and cognitive therapy (BCT) approach remains the most popular, with a method that can be adapted to addictions with and without substances and solid results confirmed by scientific studies.<\/p>\n<p>But other avenues of treatment are being explored, such as the surprising use of LSD derivatives. \u201cThe initial results are surprising and encouraging,\u201d says Professor Amine Benyamina with satisfaction. \u201cOf course, it\u2019s important to remember that these studies are very closely supervised\u201d warns the professor, who is working with his team on the effect of psilocybin on alcohol addiction. \u201cThey should not be reproduced at\u00a0home!\u201d<\/p>\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-right\"><\/h6>\n<div class=\"episode-article-right-content-notes\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-rocket-location-hash=\"c160cd0f689f4c14cff965b8a4098d59\">\n<div class=\"has-overflow\">\n<div class=\"row limited\">\n<div class=\"chroniques-slider\">\n<div class=\"chroniques-slider-inner\">\n<div class=\"chroniques slick-initialized slick-slider\">\n<div class=\"slick-list draggable\">\n<div class=\"slick-track\">\n<div class=\"chronique\">\n<div class=\"chronique-inner\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"newsletter-popup js-newsletter-popup\" data-rocket-location-hash=\"30388db85a59f7a37d6e4798da37fb1b\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>French Source: https:\/\/www.polytechnique-insights.com\/tribunes\/societe\/consommation-de-drogues-et-detournement-de-medicaments-en-hausse\/<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div data-rocket-location-hash=\"30388db85a59f7a37d6e4798da37fb1b\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"newsletter-popup js-newsletter-popup\" data-rocket-location-hash=\"30388db85a59f7a37d6e4798da37fb1b\"><strong style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">English source: https:\/\/www.polytechnique-insights.com\/en\/columns\/society\/drug-use-and-abuse-of-medicines-are-on-the-rise\/<\/strong><\/div>\n<div class=\"newsletter-popup js-newsletter-popup\" data-rocket-location-hash=\"30388db85a59f7a37d6e4798da37fb1b\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"onetrust-consent-sdk\">\n<div id=\"ot-sdk-btn-floating\" class=\"ot-floating-button\" title=\"Cookies Settings\">\n<div class=\"ot-floating-button__front custom-persistent-icon\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u00a0 Polytechnique insights: A REVIEW BY INSTITUT POLYTECHNIQUE DE PARIS \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Guillaume Airagnes \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Lecturer at Universite\u00a0 Paris Cite \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Amine Benyamina \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Professor at Paris Saclay Faculty of Medicine \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73,17,131],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18535","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-addiction","category-europe-uk","category-medicines"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18535","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18535"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18535\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18535"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18535"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18535"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}