Pomini V, Mellos L, Paparrigopoulos T, Liappas J
1st Department of Psychiatry, University of Athens, Eginition Hospital, Athens.
Organization Combating Drugs - OKANA, Athens, Greece.
Psychiatriki. 2014 Jul-Sep;25(3):208-16.
Alcohol use in Greece is traditionally diffused among its population. According to general population surveys, three out of four Greeks aged 12-64 referred to alcohol consumption during the last year and 10% reported at least one episode of alcohol abuse during the last month. Furthermore, the large majority of young people aged 13-18 reported lifetime use of alcohol and 14.8% of them reported more than three episodes of alcohol abuse during the last month. Apparently, cultural factors have influenced the pattern of alcohol consumption and the ensuing alcohol-related problems during the last two decades. The "Athena" Service is an outpatient therapeutic unit for the management of substance misusers and their families. It is a specialized abstinence-oriented service that does not administer substance substitutes; mental health professionals of the service work as a multidisciplinary team. Motivational approaches, individual cognitive-behavioural psychotherapy and family interventions of a systemic orientation are the principal therapeutic techniques applied. Adjunctive medication is prescribed whenever mild to moderate concomitant psychopathology is detected. Support measures such as provisional use of medication, use of antagonistic agents or brief hospitalization can be provided if deemed necessary. No strict time limits are applied regarding treatment duration and discharge from the program. During the period 1998-2013, a total of 1511 individuals with alcohol-related problems addressed the service. The changing pattern of substance misuse over the last fifteen years can be summarized as follows: (a) there is a gradually increasing number of women misusing substances; (b) there is an increasing proportion of young adults reporting multi-substance use with concurrent psychiatric disorders; (c) there is an increasing proportion of young adults regularly using/misusing substances; (d) there is a decreasing proportion of middle-aged individuals presenting with chronic alcohol misuse and dependence, with a long-ago onset and slow development of alcohol-related problems; and (e) the proportion of older age individuals presenting chronic alcohol misuse and dependence with concurrent severe neurological impairments is increasing. Also, detailed information on a sample of 133 individuals who addressed the service for alcohol-related problems during 2012 is given and further discussed. Finally, the need for close monitoring of dangerous alcohol consumption and changing patterns of misuse in times of socio-economic crisis, alongside with an increasing need to provide treatment, is highlighted.
在希腊，饮酒传统上在民众中较为普遍。根据一般人群调查，在12至64岁的希腊人中，四分之三的人表示在过去一年中有饮酒行为，10%的人报告在过去一个月中至少有一次酗酒事件。此外，绝大多数13至18岁的年轻人报告有过终生饮酒经历，其中14.8%的人报告在过去一个月中有超过三次酗酒事件。显然，在过去二十年中，文化因素影响了饮酒模式以及随之而来的与酒精相关的问题。“雅典娜”服务机构是一个为药物滥用者及其家庭提供管理的门诊治疗单位。它是一个专门的以戒酒为导向的服务机构，不使用药物替代品；该服务机构的心理健康专业人员作为一个多学科团队开展工作。动机性方法、个体认知行为心理治疗和系统性家庭干预是主要应用的治疗技术。每当检测到轻度至中度的伴随精神病理学问题时，会开具辅助药物。如有必要，可提供诸如临时用药、使用拮抗剂或短期住院等支持措施。对于治疗时长和项目出院没有严格的时间限制。在1998年至2013年期间，共有1511名有酒精相关问题的人向该服务机构求助。过去十五年中药物滥用模式的变化可总结如下：(a) 滥用药物的女性人数逐渐增加；(b) 报告同时使用多种药物并伴有精神疾病的年轻人比例不断上升；(c) 经常使用/滥用药物的年轻人比例不断上升；(d) 患有慢性酒精滥用和依赖且酒精相关问题发病早、发展缓慢的中年人的比例在下降；(e) 患有慢性酒精滥用和依赖并伴有严重神经损伤的老年人比例在增加。此外，还给出并进一步讨论了2012年期间因酒精相关问题向该服务机构求助的133人的样本详细信息。最后，强调了在社会经济危机时期密切监测危险饮酒行为和不断变化的滥用模式的必要性，以及提供治疗的需求日益增加。
