Croatia adopts new social reintegration program for people recovering from addiction

The Croatian government’s Committee for Addictions and Behavioural Addictions approved a national Project for Social Reintegration aimed at improving access to education, employment, housing and psychosocial support for roughly 12,000 individuals treated each year for drug, alcohol, gambling and video‑gaming problems. The initiative expands existing frameworks by including people recovering from alcohol dependence, gambling and gaming addictions for the first time, and introduces a “recovery capital” concept that mobilises personal, family and community resources to sustain long‑term recovery.

Implemented across all counties, the project seeks to link health services, social care, educational institutions and civil‑society organisations, offering job‑search assistance, training vouchers and measures to reduce stigma and discrimination. Officials stress that successful treatment now depends not only on abstinence but also on the ability of individuals to re‑enter society as autonomous, employed and socially integrated citizens.