Eureka! Institutional Repository

Most of the addictive substances have been known since antiquity. Due to their special nature to influence and affect the psyche and the behavior of the user (alcohol, hallucinogen) or to treat the pain (opium), some of them were used either for worship or recreational purposes or by therapists as well. Since their side effects, and in particular their addictive nature, have also been observed since ancient times, most people have restricted their use by setting strict rules. Nowadays, the use of the largest part of these substances (either naturally or artificially produced) is generally banned, with the exception of tobacco, alcohol and certain medicines whose use is subjected to certain restrictions. Despite the prohibitions, the use of addictive substances is largely diffused and many millions of users around the world are dependent on them. In Greece, as it turns out by the results of several surveys in recent years, the legal substances (alcohol - tobacco) are prevalent in the general population, with rates, in any case, close to or below the European average, while our country rates much lower from the European average (at the last position in the EU) regarding the use of illegal substances. Researches among the student population have shown that teenagers constitute the most vulnerable age group, as most drug users start experimenting, first, with legal substances and only some of them continue, with illegal substances at the age of 13-17 years old. In Corfu, according to survey data, the use of both legal and illegal substances in the student population is quite widespread, well above the nationwide average rate at the ages of 13-17 in the use of most substances. The use of alcohol and tobacco (with a tendency to decline in recent years) is more widespread while cannabis is among the most diffused illegal drugs.