A concerted effort is needed to defeat addictions. This is what emerges from the VII National Conference which, promoted by the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, is addressing the topic in recent days. All institutions, educational agencies, the Church, families must intervene to curb a phenomenon that risks burning out the new generations. «The tragedy of Addiction, the tragedy of lives destroyed by drugs, of the perverse presence and work of organized crime, requires a conscious, articulated, constantly updated commitment, a constant commitment to determination, it also requires a collective commitment», the President of the Republic was the first to underline, Sergio Mattarella, invited by the Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, to bring his greetings to the assembly gathered in Rome. “I would like to compare the slogan of this conference ‘together we can’ with the words that the Prime Minister used just now: ‘no one will find themselves alone on this front'”, said the head of state. «It is a commitment of great importance because it is a front of freedom».
Mattarella’s words were also joined by those of Pope Leo who recalled how «in recent times, new forms have been added to addictions such as drugs and alcohol, which continue to be prevalent, because the growing use of the internet, computers and smartphones is associated not only with clear benefits but also with excessive use which often leads to addictions with negative consequences for health, which have to do with compulsive gambling and betting, with pornography, and the almost constant presence on the platforms of the digital world.”
These phenomena “most often are the symptom of a mental or internal distress of the individual and of a social decay of values and positive references, particularly in adolescents and young people”, added the Pontiff in his message. «Youth is a time of trials and questions, of searching for a meaning for existence and of choices regarding the future. The increase in the market and consumption of drugs, the use of easy money through slot machines, the addiction to the internet which also includes harmful content, demonstrate that we live in a world devoid of hope, where there is a lack of vigorous human and spiritual proposals. Consequently, many young people think that all behaviors are equivalent, as they cannot distinguish good from evil and have no sense of moral limits.”
The Pope then encourages «the efforts of parents and various educational agencies, such as schools, parishes, oratories, aimed at inspiring spiritual and moral values in the young generations, so that they behave as responsible people. Adolescents and young people need to form their conscience, develop their inner life and establish positive relationships with peers and a constructive dialogue with adults, to become the free and responsible creators of their own existence. The fear of the future and of commitment to adult life that is observed among young people makes them particularly fragile. They are often not encouraged to fight for a righteous and beautiful existence; they have a tendency to turn in on themselves.”
Leone calls for a commitment to prevention “that translates into an intervention by the community as a whole. It is important, as part of a policy of preventing youth distress, to increase the self-esteem of the new generations, to counteract the sense of insecurity and emotional instability favored both by social pressures and by the very nature of the adolescent phase. Job opportunities, education, sport, healthy living, the spiritual dimension of existence: this is the path to prevention of addictions.”
Finally, it encourages «those who take part in this significant event to outline operational proposals aimed at promoting a culture of solidarity and subsidiarity; a culture that is opposed to selfishness and utilitarian and economic logic, but which is reaching out towards others, listening, on a path of encounter and relationship with others, especially when they are most vulnerable and fragile”.
