"Drugs: Let's not look to the side"

In May, the event "Drugs: Let's Not Look to the Side" was held in an auditorium in the City of Buenos Aires, organized by two youth NGOs: Frente Joven and the Observatorio de la Dignidad.

The initiative brought together experts, activists and committed youth in an effort to address the drug situation in Argentina and understand the motivations that lead to consumption, as well as propose concrete actions to confront the drug industry that increasingly enslaves youth. The event was attended by prominent guests.

Claudio Mate Rothgerber, specialist and advisor in addictions, shared his experience and knowledge on the subject and how it affects young people he highlighted: "The real problem of marijuana is not seen in hospitals, it is seen on a Monday in high school." Also present was Rafael Barros, founder of the "It's Never Too Late" project, which seeks to provide support to people with addictions in the municipality of San Miguel, province of Buenos Aires.

The event was aimed at young people, who had the opportunity to reflect and raise awareness about the problem of addictions. About 100 people gathered in the auditorium. Political and social leaders were also present, among whom the presence of Deputy Luis Di Giácomo stood out.

"Drugs: Let's Not Look to the Side" was the first event in a series that seeks to address Argentina's drug-related challenges head-on. Frente Joven and the Observatory of Dignity will continue to organize meetings of this style with a characteristic youthful tone, inviting the community to join the fight against addictions.

Workshop: Prevention of addictions in the environment and in parenting.

The Province of Buenos Aires is facing a new and difficult scenario to address. In hospitals in the Province of Buenos Aires, there is an alarming increase in the number of pregnant women with drug use, and consequently require hospitalization of newborns in neonatal services, with positive urine doses.

The use of drugs during the gestation period increases the risk of intrauterine fetal death, congenital malformations, cardiovascular, renal, intestinal and central nervous system disorders, which require hospitalization and treatment of newborns in intensive care, with variable results in terms of evolution, sequelae or mortality. Through fieldwork, several professionals have said that the consequences of consumption in pregnant women are already reflected in different disorders of children from 1 to 3 years old.

That is why Defensores de Mamás, a program to accompany pregnant women that works in Argentina led by Frente Joven, decided to carry out an addiction prevention workshop. None of us here had heard about the consequences of drugs for them and their child on the way, and even when we introduced the topic they were very excited. First, we talked about why a person generally accesses drugs, what consequences it has both biologically and psychologically. Then we talked about why it affects your children if they consume during pregnancy. Then, in the second part, they also talked about how being a mother they can be agents of prevention in their children. To do this, we work on different tools that can be useful depending on the stage of the child's life.

The mothers actively participated throughout the workshop, they were observed excited and once it was over they asked for more information on the subject. This motivates us to continue replicating the workshop in the other Mom Advocate centers since we understand that it is urgent to raise awareness about the effects that it can have on this population.