This year, the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking also marks the 27th anniversary of Aġenzija Sedqa as the national agency in the addictions field.

Addiction is a complex, ever-evolving area of practice, and over the years Sedqa has made it a point to constantly re-organise its service depending on current challenges. Efforts to re-organise services from having a separation of services based on the substance of misuse, to tackling addictions and addictive behaviours and the surrounding implications in a more comprehensive way, have in fact been implemented throughout all levels of the agency’s operations. This move has been widely endorsed both locally and internationally through the thumbs up of the GAIA group, commissioned to review the changes being implemented by Sedqa in service delivery.

With a staff complement of around 120 employees, most of them professionals working directly with clients, Sedqa boasts various services ranging from medical services at the substance misuse outpatients unit, psychological services, court services, community based treatment services, residential rehabilitation and a vast range of prevention programmes. The latter have, in the past three years, extended their efforts, particularly within the education sector. Prevention programmes are today held at Year 3 and 5 at Primary level, as well as Year 8 (Form 2) at Secondary level, in collaboration with the Anti-Substance Team within the Ministry for Education. This year also marks the 25th anniversary of the SAFE programme, aimed at assisting workplaces dealing with addiction related issues, with a reach of over 26,000 participants since its onset.

Sedqa’s 2019 European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) cycle (survey among 3,043, 15- to 16-year-old students in Malta and Gozo), has provided professionals in the field new information on the prevalence of online gaming, gambling and social media. This along with more conventional data gathering about the use of tobacco, alcohol and other substances. Studying emerging trends is of huge relevance to Sedqa, as these are the emerging types of addictive behaviours being encountered by our professionals throughout their everyday practice. The relatively high amount of time spent on gaming and social media use, indicate that professionals working in this sector need to be on the lookout for contouring social issues deriving from such misuse, such as issues related to physical inactivity and lack of social interaction, among others.

Compared to 2015 data, there has been an encouraging, albeit marginal, overall decline in alcohol and smoking related behaviours being measured. Still, there needs to be a more coordinated, inter-ministerial approach to consolidate the current legal framework concerning the accessibility, for instance, of alcohol consumption among our youths. It is also worth noting the need for a shift in the overall local culture around alcohol consumption, which directly impacts alcohol related behaviours in relation to younger generations. Every member of society is a stakeholder with us to achieve this needed culture change. Considering all this, Sedqa professionals continue to strive in delivering a message aimed at promoting healthy lifestyles that are key at mitigating alcohol, smoking and substance misuse behaviours.

Apart from the increase in behavioural addictions, other challenges lie ahead. The decrease in age of people developing problematic use of substances, as well as public opinion in general towards drug abuse as an acceptable recreational means needs tackling. These shifts are making it difficult even for people who underwent rehabilitation to keep being sober and abstinent in everyday life. Over and above this, Sedqa needs to keep feelers out for any prospective new client groups that might need specialised and targeted service provision arising from new and emergent societal needs.

As the national agency, Sedqa carries the responsibility to continue advocating for its clients, outlining the fact that the addict is not the problem but a product of how society is failing. We need to shift the language within society about individuals dealing with substance or behaviour addictions. Our mission is therefore to advocate for a human rights approach with other service providers, whereby basic needs should take priority over one’s addiction issues, hence guaranteeing better accessibility to services catering for basic needs.

Through its preventive efforts, Aġenzija Sedqa shall also continue exploring new ways of reaching out to people out there, with a particular focus on working towards harm reduction approaches. We need to be more adventurous in the years to come both in methodologies and exploring new avenues where prevention and harm reduction programmes would be most effective.

With its long history within the social field, Sedqa shall continue to be a reference point for Government in the drafting of policies and legislation, for other NGOs and private entities who work with our clients, and for the public in general, offering a unique multidisciplinary service in the social sector.

For assistance contact our offices on 2388 5110, support line 179 or e-mail address sedqa@gov.mt.