Geopop inaugurates his new Toxic series that gives voice to those who have lived firsthand the abuse of substances. Through their testimonies, the goal is to go beyond the surface to understand that the drug is often only the tip of the iceberg of a deeper malaise, made of fragility, insecurity and inadequacy. The stories of those who have made it demonstrate how the support of a network of family, friends and professionals can make a difference and save a life.
In the first episode of this new series we had the pleasure of talking to Gianluca, a boy who today works as an educator at the San Patrignano community, the same place that helped him get out of drug addiction. In his decoration laboratory, he uses craftsmanship as a tool to return dignity and teach a job to guys who, like him once, fight against the abuse of substances. There Eroin dependence In Gianluca’s life he manifested himself with a constant desire to take on the substance, often accompanied by a negative mood and painful symptoms of abstinence such as widespread pain, tiredness and cramps, when it was not used.
His path to addiction has its roots in a deep sense of insecurity and in the fear of the judgment of others that emerged during adolescence. To deal with this discomfort, he searched for an identity in the world of substances, starting with cannabis to manage anxiety and reaching a rapid escalation towards heroin intravenously. His life has turned into a vicious circle of thefts and lies, with the sole purpose of appealing physical pain and anguish of abstinence.
After touching the bottom, the turning point came thanks to the intervention of his professors and the family, who directed him to the community of San Patrignano. There, without drugs, Gianluca understood that addiction was just a symptom of his insecurity. Through a path of three and a half years, he faced his fragility and reconstructed his life, today bringing a message of hope: talking and confiding is the first, fundamental step to save himself.
When asked about what he would say to the same thirteen year old, Gianluca replies:
I would like to make him understand that what he lives is normal, that there is an alternative and that it is not alone. If you look around, there are others like him who are suffering the same things. You can find a solution to everything, there is always a way of reacting. I would like to give him four slaps immediately, because it is not as he thinks! There is no written condemnation about him who will have to be unhappy for life. Against that always feeling bad with others … he can do it too, he can do it.
The story of Gianluca teaches us that contacting a specialized center is the fundamental step to embark on a rehabilitation path, both for themselves and to help a person suffering from addiction.
