Torrevieja Town Hall has taken a new step forward in its commitment to promoting healthy lifestyle habits and preventing risky behaviours among the population, especially young people, by launching a participatory process to prevent addictions within the leisure sector.
The city will become the first in the Valencian Community to implement the PAO Guide, a programme funded by the National Plan on Drugs, which is already being developed across various Spanish municipalities. The local council is starting a participatory process to design preventative strategies based on scientific evidence and civil society involvement.
The initiative is driven by the Department of Public Health and the UPCCA (Addictive Behaviour Community Prevention Unit). It will allow for a shared diagnosis of risks associated with leisure activities and strengthen the community prevention network.
The details of the project were finalised following a meeting between the Councillor for Public Health, Rosa Cañón, technicians from Torrevieja’s UPCCA, and representatives from the IREFREA team (European Institute for Studies on Prevention), a leading national and international body in research and the prevention of addictive behaviours. Following this meeting, an agreement was reached to implement the PAO Guide (Prevention of Addictions in Leisure) in the city. This tool promotes preventative interventions from a community, participatory perspective based on scientific evidence.
The main objective of the project is to launch a social participation process to gain a more precise understanding of the local reality regarding addictions and leisure environments. To achieve this, the active involvement of associations, social entities, youth groups, professionals, families, and community agents will be utilised to help draft a shared diagnosis of the situation.
This work will identify needs, detect risk and protective factors, and design future preventative strategies adapted to the reality of Torrevieja. Furthermore, the project aims to consolidate a stable network of collaboration between administrations, professionals, and civil society to guarantee the continuity and effectiveness of the actions developed over the coming years.
The methodology of the PAO Guide focuses on a type of prevention that goes beyond traditional information-based actions, incorporating community and environmental measures capable of generating positive changes in leisure spaces and dynamics. The focus of the programme is based on scientific evidence accumulated over years by experts in addiction prevention. It promotes the co-responsibility of all actors involved in building healthier, safer, and more inclusive environments.
The Department of Public Health highlighted that this model will allow progress towards more effective, accessible, and participatory prevention, involving the whole community in the search for shared solutions.
The PAO Guide is currently being developed thanks to funding from the General Directorate of the National Plan on Drugs (PNSD) and has already seen experiences in different municipalities within the Balearic Islands, Andalusia, and Castile and León.
The inclusion of Torrevieja in the programme represents a significant recognition of the work the city has been doing regarding health promotion and prevention, as it will serve as a pilot experience for the future rollout of this model in other municipalities across the Valencian Community.
Addiction prevention does not start when a problem appears, but much earlier: in the ability of a city to listen, involve, and build a community. With this project, Torrevieja is taking a decisive step to turn its leisure spaces into healthier and safer environments, proving that the best tools against addiction remain participation, education, and shared responsibility.
