Valencian pioneers of the Psychology of addictions academic and professional legacy

The following article aims to showcase the trajectory of five leading Valencian women in the field of Psychology of addictions thus conferring visibility to them while paying special attention to their life stories and careers, documenting their main contributions to the area with the aim of claiming their legacy. Qualitative methodology was used based on a semi-structured biographical narrative. The protagonists emphasize that the development of the regional autonomies in Spain paved the way for a better approach to the treatment and prevention of addictions with the organization and creation of specialized care and preventive resources, and greatly enhanced research on the neurobiological bases of addiction. Self-taught, they have never stopped studying the subject and learning about it, and are continually recycling themselves. They believe that health education content must be strengthened and they demand more human and financial resources for research, treatment, prevention and social integration. They consider that at present it would be necessary to influence the prevention of the abusive use of new technologies, the Internet and cannabis among young people, as well as to detect female alcohol consumers who are late in coming to treatment.