A Drug Free Approach to Treatment – Cultural/Social Aspects and Follow-Up Studies: the case of ‘San Patrignano’ Therapeutic Community”,

The dispute between those who seek to accommodate drug misuse (whose opponents dismiss them as 'fatalists') and those who seek to enable a return to drug-free lifestyles (whose opponents dismiss them as 'dreamers') has long existed in many countries. This paper, originally presented by its author, verbally in Italian at a conference in Rimini, Italy, targets this dispute, and expands on it by looking at the related social, cultural, and sociological factors. As the author explains, drug addiction can be seen as a 'disease of the soul' - and in this setting, detoxification is the least of the problems. After discussing and characterising this change of paradigm, the author supports it by presenting research results based on the experiences of present and former residents of the San Patrignano Community, the facility on which this paper is based.