J.M. Fàbregas: ‘At our CITA detox clinic we were the first to consider that we needed to ask ourselves about the reason behind addiction’
Divendres is a magazine program on Catalan television TV3, presented by Helena García and co-presented by Espartac Peran, who visits different Catalan towns.
Last week, the cameras of Divendres and Espartac Perán visited the facilities of our CITA detox clinic in Dosrius and interviewed the clinic’s director, José Maria Fàbregas, a current patient, and another person who underwent treatment at CITA 10 years ago.
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Here are some highlights from the interview:
- Why, despite there being many detox and drug rehabilitation clinics in Spain, is Clínicas CITA a reference?
- CITA was a pioneer in detox therapies and we have more than 30 years of experience. We were the first to consider that instead of fighting against the substance, we needed to ask ourselves about the why, how, and reason behind the addiction. We believe that behind dependencies there is sometimes an attempt to self-medicate, and if all we do is fight against the symptom, we will miss an opportunity to understand what the reason is, what the trigger is, what causes this to happen. If we don’t resolve this, abstinence is complicated.
- We increasingly observe gambling advertising on athletes’ shirts. Is gambling addiction already a real problem?
- If it isn’t, it will be. If there is environmental pressure and young people are taught to earn money easily and immediately, this can really become a serious problem. Addiction is the loss of the ability to control a substance or behavior. When one loses the possibility to choose, we have an addiction.
- You say that gambling could be a serious problem in the future. Is medication addiction already a problem now?
- It is undoubtedly a serious problem. Poorly prescribed or self-medicated sedatives have already become an epidemic. The consumption bill for these drugs has increased alarmingly and I suspect disproportionately to the actual need for them.
- How do you know when a daily act becomes an addiction?
- An addiction has nothing to do with quantity or frequency, perhaps not even with the problems it causes, but rather with the loss of the ability to decide about consumption or a behavior. We must distinguish between a risk consumer, who is a potential addict, and an addict. An addict is someone who wants to quit but cannot.
- What is the indicator of being addicted to your phone? Being told by several people?
- Absolutely. One of the problems of addicts is subjectivity, the difficulty they sometimes have in recognizing their problem, and this first indication often comes from their environment, when people tell them: ‘Be careful, you drink too much,’ ‘Be careful, you’re addicted to your phone.’ It’s important to reflect on whether this is indeed the case and test yourself. If you can control it, it’s abuse; if not, it’s an addiction.
About the Author: Dr. Josep Mª Fàbregas
Especialista en adicciones y director psiquiatra del centro de adicciones y salud mental Clínicas CITA. Inicié mi carrera profesional en el Hospital Marmottande París, donde trabajé con el Profesor Claude Olievenstein. Posteriormente me trasladé a Nueva York y, tras varios años de experiencia profesional, en 1981 fundé CITA (Centro de Investigación y Tratamiento de las Adicciones) con el objetivo de desarrollar un modelo de comunidad terapéutica profesional, el cual lleva 32 años en funcionamiento.
Autor: Comunicación Clínicas CITA
