Objective: To assess the frequency of drug addiction amongst youth residing in Hyderabad, Pakistan and to explore the types and causes of drug addiction in study population.
Methodology: This descriptive observational study was carried out from March 9, to August 20, 2018 and included 120 young adults who were directly or indirectly involved in drug abuse/misuse. Random sampling method was used. A modified questionnaire was used to collect demographic information, types and frequency, causes of drug abuse and awareness about drug addiction harms. Data analysis was done by SPSS version 21.
Results: The participants between age 15-20 years were 70% harmed by drug abuse; most affected people were uneducated (38.3%) and unmarried (76.6%). Most of the students (41.6%) were involved in drug addiction. Mostly, 73.34% participants were involved in different types of drug addiction in which 25% used alcohol. Remaining 14.99% were involved in cigarette smoking and 11.66% were addicted to chewing tobacco, gutka and niswar. Possible causes of drug addiction were drug dependence in 15% and 55% were not aware about drug addiction.
Conclusion: It was concluded that drug dependence is the major factor that leads to drug abuse.
Key words: Drug addiction, socioeconomic status, drug abuse, drug dependence, psychological dependence, adolescence.
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