Andorra's Projecte Vida Launches Anti-Stigma Campaign on Addiction

Projecte Vida has launched the "Trenca l'estigma" campaign to combat prejudice around addiction and foster a more empathetic response in Andorra's communities.

Unveiled on 30 June with backing from the government, Escaldes-Engordany council, and VSA Comunicació, the year-long effort argues that judgement hinders recovery while support opens pathways to help. It shifts focus from substances to the people experiencing addiction and the barriers they encounter, such as stigma, shame, and labelling that delay treatment and worsen isolation—issues amplified in small societies like Andorra's.

Eva Tenorio, now vocal for Projecte Vida and recently its president, noted that stigma often leads to a decade-long delay in seeking aid, with the problem intensified locally. Some avoid self-help meetings for fear of recognition or skip public resources over concerns about shared medical records. These barriers not only violate rights and complicate recovery but also raise public costs.

The campaign features ten street posters in Andorra la Vella and Escaldes-Engordany, each with a QR code to resources on mental health, social exclusion, family impacts, recovery, harm reduction, and community support. Created using artificial intelligence because real individuals hesitated to appear publicly, the visuals aim to humanise addiction, showing it can affect anyone through factors like neurodivergence, adverse experiences, or trauma. Tenorio is the sole real person featured.

The stark, conversation-starting posters avoid accusing groups or depicting explicit violence, while acknowledging personal responsibility alongside the need to address stigma's silencing effect. Drawing from World Health Organization and European Monitoring Centre for Drugs guidance, Projecte Vida emphasises that behind every addiction lies a person, a story, and recovery potential.