SOCIDROGALCOHOL: the Spanish Scientific Society for the Study of Alcohol, Alcoholism and other Drug Dependencies

Founded in 1969, SOCIDROGALCOHOL is a reference point for professionals int erested in drug dependencies, both for Spaniards and for professionals belo nging to Spanish-speaking areas. In its 32 years of existence SOCIDROGALCOH OL has spread to all the regions of Spain and most of the Latin-American co untries. In the past 5 years SOCIDROGALCOHOL has undergone notable growth, increasing the number of members (from 460 to 816), as well as the number o f scientific activities carried out. The National Conferences represent an annual meeting point for the members, where multiple scientific sessions ta ke place, as well as the ordinary general assembly. They are usually held i n the spring and last 3 days, with an attendance of around 400 professional s. Within the field of ongoing training, SOCIDROGALCOHOL also cart ies out other activities: the Autumn School, the Latin-American Virtual Congress of Drug Dependence, distance learning courses, etc. Special mention should be made to the official journal of the Society, Adicciones, founded in 1989. Adicciones is published quarterly in Spanish and its articles are subjected to peer reviews 2000 copies of each issue are published. The abstracts can be accessed free on the website of the Society, www.SOCIDROGALCOHOL.org. I n this paper the most relevant historical aspects of SOCIDROGALCOHOL will b e summarized, along with its current activities and future perspectives.