“SOS Parents and Society”: a hand outstretched to those with drug-addicted children
From Sicily, the association’s appeal: “We are there but we want to be heard to understand how to get active”
The association “SOS Genitori e Società,” founded in 2024, is dedicated to supporting families dealing with the tragedy of substance addiction in their children.
Dr. Olga Vicari, the president, emphasizes that many young people have a dual diagnosis and require specific treatment pathways. While parents provide protection and care during adolescence, once the children reach adulthood, the situation becomes more complicated. The association also works on prevention, requesting the creation of daytime centers where young people can express their sociality.
Families call on the institutions to allocate more resources and structures to foster the social and professional inclusion of young people, particularly those requiring intensive care. Unfortunately, in Sicily, there are no specialized communities for the most severe cases, forcing families to look for solutions outside the region. The stories shared by the parents highlight the need for dialogue and support, aiming to prevent social isolation and provide concrete help in line with the works of mercy promoted by the Gospel.
PALERMO – Listening and broad discussion, on the different aspects related to the issue of substance addiction, is what the families of the association “SOS Parents and Society” are asking institutions for, in light of what the new regional law also provides.
The association, founded in 2024, seeks to support parents who experience the drama of their children’s drug addiction, trying to foster a dialogue with institutions to ask for interventions that, in addition to focusing on the addict, also take into consideration the needs of families.
“We are parents who, for years, have been experiencing the fragile situations of our children who have entered the ring of substance addiction,” said Dr. Olga Vicari, president of the SOS Parents and Society Association. Having most of them a dual diagnosis, they need to follow a specific treatment path.
Until they are teenagers there is parental protection and care, but then, once they come of age, everything becomes more complicated”.
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