Building on the direction set out in the first roadmap, five priority areas have been identified to combat addiction in Occitanie, while continuing the initiatives already underway:

1. Strengthen partnerships, knowledge, and coordination among the various stakeholders

2. Prevent addictive behaviors among young people

3. Prevent and reduce risks in various settings

4. Strengthen initiatives targeting vulnerable populations

5. Continue the fight against tobacco, in line with national guidelines

The shared goal is, on the one hand, to prevent addiction (with or without substances) from an early age by implementing programs to develop psychosocial skills that will enable children to acquire abilities that promote physical, mental, and social well-being and prevent a wide range of behaviors with harmful effects on health. And, on the other hand, to ultimately reduce the use of psychoactive substances as well as the behaviors associated with them (bullying, violence, etc.).

Addictions: Public Health and Safety Issues

Addictive behaviors represent a major societal and public health issue given the health and social harm they cause, their implications for safety, trafficking, and crime, as well as the resulting cost to public finances. Furthermore, this is a phenomenon that affects all sectors of society, all social settings, and all age groups, particularly young people, whose consumption levels are among the highest in Europe, regardless of the substance. The use of psychoactive substances also generates major public safety and public peace issues.

In terms of public health, in France, tobacco and alcohol are the two leading causes of preventable mortality: 75,000 tobacco-related deaths per year (including 45,000 from cancer) and 41,000 alcohol-related deaths per year (including 16,000 from cancer).

The Occitanie region is among those with the highest rates of daily tobacco and alcohol use:

• 28.5% of people aged 18–75 smoke daily, or 1,200,000 smokers. Occitanie is thus the second region in France with the highest prevalence of daily smoking among 18–75-year-olds, after Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur (29.1% in PACA and 25.3% in France). The prevalence in Occitanie is significantly higher among men (30.5%) than among women (26.6%);

• 11% of people aged 18–75 consume alcohol every day in Occitanie (8% in France), with a significantly higher prevalence among men (16.6%) than among women (5.6%).

In terms of public safety, addictive behaviors are responsible for numerous accidents. For example, in 2022, alcohol was a factor in 25% of fatal accidents nationwide.

A Strengthened Partnership to Prevent and Combat Addictions

The primary objective of this roadmap is to strengthen partnerships—both institutional and community-based—as well as knowledge and coordination among the various stakeholders. To achieve this, existing governance bodies will be strengthened to foster the engagement of all stakeholders in the field of addiction.

At the regional level, as well as at the local level, this roadmap will aim to give public action greater strength, coherence, and visibility.

Regional Implementation and Evaluation of the Roadmap

Departmental prefectures and ARS departmental delegations will adapt this roadmap to local specificities by formalizing departmental roadmaps, based on the priorities identified at the regional level.

To ensure feedback on the actions implemented, a multi-year monitoring of the actions will be conducted and coupled with an annual evaluation, resulting in the formalization of a report.