Drug addicts mostly violence victims, report shows

ISTANBUL

A recent report on the use of drugs in Turkey prepared by a platform has studied the background and latest situation of drug addicts in the country, revealing a link between physical violence experienced during childhood and addiction.

Some 45.8 percent of drug users said they were exposed to physical violence and abuse during their childhood, according to the results of a study conducted with drug addicts in Ankara and Istanbul, the country’s two largest cities.

Conducted through in-depth interviews with 23 people and a questionnaire study with 118 addicts, the report shows that 61.9 percent of addicts were born in metropolitan cities and only 1.7 percent of them live in rural settlements such as villages and towns.

The research included substance abusers who had participated in a faith-based support program called Spiritual Empowerment and Rehabilitation (SEDAR), who wanted to get rid of drug addiction, and therefore stayed in residential rehabilitation centers.

It also notes that 39 percent of addicts dropped out of high school, 12.7 percent were college dropouts or had graduated from university, and the rest were primary school graduates or dropped out of primary education.

While 63.6 percent of the participants said they started using drugs with the influence of friends, 57.5 percent said that their friends were people with criminal risk, and 75 percent said that drugs were used in their environment.

The research also revealed that 41.4 percent of addicts have tattoos on their bodies, 55.3 percent have cuts, and 63.8 percent have received one or more disciplinary fines at school or during their service in the military.

It was determined that 54.7 percent of those struggling with addiction were in the 19-25 age group, and 32.5 percent were in the 26-30 age group.