The most normalized addiction of all
According to the EDADES 2024 report from the Spanish Observatory on Drugs and Addictions (OEDA), 76% of the Spanish population aged 15 to 64 drank alcohol in the past year, 63.5% in the past month, and 9% report having drunk alcohol daily over the past month. Alcohol is, by far, the most normalized addictive substance in Spain.
It's there at work lunches, family celebrations, plans with friends, set menus and the supermarket around the corner. That's exactly why it is, by a wide margin, the addiction that takes longest to recognize: "everyone drinks." By the time someone seriously starts to wonder whether they have a problem with alcohol, they've usually been living with it for years — sometimes decades.
At Charlas Adictivas we walk alongside people who want to stop drinking, with an approach that is professional, human and sustained. We work on an outpatient basis, with no inpatient admission, in person in Madrid and online across Spain. Your first conversation is free.
When drinking is no longer under control
There is no clear line between "social drinker" and "someone with an alcohol problem." It's a continuum, and many people spend years in the grey zone without realizing it. These are meaningful signs that alcohol has started taking up more space than it should:
Physical signs
- Waking up hungover more and more often
- Morning shakes, sweating when you get up
- Insomnia or unrefreshing sleep on the days you don't drink
- Persistent digestive trouble, reflux, morning nausea
- Rising blood pressure, rapid heartbeat
- Changes in blood work: elevated GGT, GOT/GPT, mean corpuscular volume
Psychological signs
- Needing a drink to unwind when you get home
- Anxiety or irritability when you can't drink
- Guilt the next day and private promises of "no drinking tomorrow" that you don't keep
- Thinking about alcohol more than you'd like to
- Systematically using alcohol to manage difficult emotions
- Memory gaps after drinking (blackouts)
Behavioral and social signs
- Hiding how much you drink from your partner or your colleagues
- Frequently drinking alone
- Recurring arguments with your partner over alcohol
- Having tried to cut down or stop several times without managing it
- Missing work or underperforming because of drinking
The numbers: alcohol in Spain
The data from the EDADES 2024 report (Spanish Ministry of Health) draw the map:
- 92.9% of the population aged 15 to 64 has drunk alcohol at some point in their life
- 76% in the past year
- 63.5% in the past month
- 9% drank daily over the past month
- 14.7% report having been drunk in the past year
- The highest prevalence is concentrated between ages 25 and 34
Spain is, along with France, Germany and Portugal, one of the European countries where alcohol consumption is most normalized. And that social normalization is precisely what makes the problem so hard to recognize: if everyone drinks, how could I be the one with a problem?
Source: Spanish Observatory on Drugs and Addictions (OEDA), EDADES 2024 Report, Spanish Ministry of Health.
Outpatient program vs inpatient admission
One of the questions we get asked most is whether you need to be admitted somewhere to stop drinking. In the vast majority of cases, the answer is no.
Outpatient support lets you carry on with your life, your work and your family while you work on your recovery. It's built on regular individual and group support sessions, with coordinated external support when the physical withdrawal requires it. It's the recommended model for the great majority of participants with alcohol dependence.
Inpatient admission is only indicated in very specific cases: very heavy daily drinking with a risk of delirium tremens, serious medical or psychiatric complications, or an environment that makes recovery impossible from the outside. If we assess that your case calls for a short admission, we will tell you honestly.
The advantage of the outpatient model is that it doesn't interrupt your life, and recovery is built in the very context where it will later have to be sustained. It isn't "less serious" than an admission: for most people, it's more effective in the medium term.
Alcohol withdrawal: what to expect
Unlike cocaine or cannabis, alcohol does produce a physical withdrawal syndrome that can become medically dangerous in severe cases. That's why we never recommend stopping abruptly on your own, without checking first, if your drinking is heavy and daily.
Signs can include shaking, sweating, intense anxiety, nausea, rapid heartbeat, high blood pressure, severe insomnia and, in the most serious cases, seizures or delirium tremens. They appear between 6 and 24 hours after the last drink and can last several days, usually peaking between 48 and 72 hours.
At Charlas Adictivas we coordinate this phase with external support when needed, so that the first stage is safe and as gentle as it can be.
Who you'll be working with: our community team
Ruy Arroyo Ozores
Community director · Trained in addiction recovery support
Addiction recovery companion with more than 20 years living with active addiction and more than 13 years in sustained recovery. Creator and host of the Charlas Adictivas podcast, interviewed by the Regional Government of Madrid and the Why Not Foundation.
Salva Rivero
Facilitator with lived recovery experience
A companion in recovery with extensive professional experience. His story is told in episode #22 of the Charlas Adictivas podcast.
Rocío León
Community team member
A professional specialized in supporting participants through the addiction recovery process.
Our approach
We work with an integrative, evidence-based model. In the case of alcoholism this approach matters especially, because social stigma and denial are a central part of the problem.
- Individual support with professionals specialized in addictions.
- Support groups with other people who are giving up drinking.
- A support community with an exclusive podcast, live sessions with Ruy Arroyo and practical tools between sessions.
- Work with the family environment, because alcoholism affects — and is often sustained by — specific family dynamics.
Stages of the recovery process
1. Initial assessment (free)
A first session with no strings attached. We go over your drinking history, your life and medical situation, previous attempts and your support network.
2. First phase, with support
Stopping drinking with professional support at your side. In the cases that require it, we coordinate external support so that withdrawal is safe. The first seven to ten days are the most demanding.
3. Ongoing support
The deeper work: identifying what drinking was doing for you and building functional alternatives. Repairing damaged relationships. Rebuilding your routine without alcohol. Working on co-occurring issues where they exist.
4. Relapse prevention
Relapses are a statistical part of the process. They are not failure: they are information. We prepare you to spot them before they happen.
5. Maintenance and community
Alcohol recovery is especially vulnerable to isolation. The community model offers sustained companionship over time.
How long does the process take?
- Intensive phase: 3 to 6 months, with weekly sessions
- Consolidation: an additional 6 to 12 months
- Maintenance: open-ended, as needed
The Charlas Adictivas podcast as a complementary resource
Our participants get access to the full podcast catalogue. Episodes especially relevant for working on alcohol:
- Episode #1 with Dr. Antoni Gual — One of Spain's foremost authorities on alcohol, with more than 40 years leading research and care.
- Episode #35 with Ruy Arroyo Ozores — Our director tells his own story with substances, first-hand.
- Real-life testimony episodes — Stories like Dani's, or Javier Arambarri's (son of an alcoholic, founder of Pulpo).
Available for free on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Support for family members
If the person drinking is your partner, your father, your mother, an adult child or a close friend, the impact on you is real. We offer specific guidance for family members: how to talk about the problem without raising more walls, how to support without rescuing, and how to look after yourself so you can keep going.
How to get started
Your first conversation is free and comes with no obligation. A professional from our team will listen to your situation and explain clearly what we can offer you.