The Cabildo of Lanzarote is promoting the work carried out by the Addiction Care Unit 'Doctora Rosa Torres Martínez' with the upcoming incorporation of an advisory and technical assistance service and training of experts in behavioral addictions and techno-addictions focused on prevention efforts, as announced by the Minister of Social Welfare, Isabel Martín.
"With this measure we intend to reinforce the activity of this unit, which during the pandemic has experienced an increase in demand from people who have problems related to addictions," says Martín.
In this sense, the Minister emphasizes that the Addiction Care Unit is currently attending to minors who present this type of addiction to new technologies. "This is an emerging problem and we still do not know exactly what the real dimension of this pathology is among the younger population, but the impact of compulsive internet use among adolescents already reaches 20% in the 14 to 18 age group," she points out.
The Minister also highlights that in recent months they have received from the island's Secondary Education centers "various requests for the realization of prevention workshops on the use of new technologies, video games, and even online betting, which have experienced an increase among students". "The objective is to train students and offer them the appropriate tools to make adequate use of the internet and social networks," she adds.
Attention to more than 600 users
It should be noted that the Lanzarote Addiction Care Unit provides a complete service of prevention, advice, treatment and supervision, both in substance addictions and in behavioral addictions, which have increased in recent years.
Thus, during the past year, said Unit assisted a total of 605 users, of which 258 were new patients. "From the Area of Social Welfare we make a call for all people who may be going through a possible addiction or a bad habit to have the support and help of this tool to overcome it," concludes the Minister, who recalls that there is a telephone available 928 81 35 51 to receive advice.
