My name’s Dr. Sana Barada. I am Lebanese-Italian and have lived in Florence for almost 21 years.
I have a degree in Clinical Pharmacy (PharmD) from the American University in Lebanon (LAU) and a four-year specialization in Applied Pharmacology and Pharmacovigilance from the University of Florence.
In 2012, I attended the International Program on Addiction Studies, IPAS, a master's degree provided by Virginia Commonwealth University, King's College London, University of Adelaide, and recommended by NIDA, the American National Institute on Drug Abuse.
I have been working as a freelancer since 2015, helping people with problems related to various addictions, such as those concerning substances, food, emotional/love, electronics ... in a few words, also those related to lifestyle.I am a registered pharmacist with the Lebanese Order of Pharmacists, my qualification for the profession has also been recognized by the Italian Ministry of Health. I speak three languages perfectly: English, Italian, and Arabic together with French and a scholastic knowledge of German.
As can be seen from my professional profile, I am not a therapist.Being a pharmacologist in the field of pharmacovigilance, I have always had a close collaboration with the toxicology department which then brought me closer to the world of addiction. This background, combined with the in-depth study of addictions, has been such a great help in understanding how to raise the awareness of patients and their families on various concepts related to addiction, obviously using the most suitable method each time. Awareness is essential and represents the first step towards treatment, but it is not enough by itself. It is necessary to identify the 'know-how', that is, the various indispensable tools to understand how to go in the opposite direction to the development of addiction, how to prevent relapses, and learn how to get up again.
It is wrong to have expectations based on a simple abstinence, often unattainable. It is important to learn to accept yourself and live in ‘gray areas’ away from black or white, reducing damage and replacing perfection with progress, because the goal must not be perfection, but rather, improvement, arriving at the best version of oneself.
There remain 3 strengths that in my opinion give added value to my professional figure:
- From the point of view of character, patience, attention to listening and a great desire to help, all innate characteristics of my character allow me to empathize with the patient, to put them at ease, in an environment where they can feel safe.
- My personal experience with an addiction and my own historically very complicated relationship with food, led me to choose to base my profession precisely on the help of people who are in a situation of addiction and would like to get out of it, but do not have the right tools to do so.
- Last but not least, in my private life I am a mother of three children, and I have a great desire to lead a healthy and peaceful life.