The average age of drug use is 15 years. (1) Addiction is discussed in children. (2) In a country where 98% of the world’s drug seizures occur. (3) The name of this country is Iran. The same Iran that we all know, but the statistics that we are not aware of.

The work is to investigate the reasons behind this tragedy that is taking lives, everyone has something to say. One person blames personal factors, another blames family factors, and another blames the pit of boredom. They say that the more bored a young person is, the more likely they are to lean towards drugs. (4)

Dr. Majid Alizadeh, a psychologist, believes that the main reason for young people’s tendency towards drug use is their personal reasons. In today’s individualistic world, everyone has a tendency towards a problem-free life, and the endless pressures of personal and family life lead them towards drug use. In a society full of unemployment and easy access to drugs, this is the opinion of a psychologist. It is short and concise, but it seems that we need to delve deeper into why we talk about drug use by children in Iran and why our teenagers and young people are increasingly turning towards traditional and industrial drugs.

Of course, it’s not a new agreement. In 1381 (19 years ago), based on research by the National Projects Office of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, addiction was identified as the third most important problem in the population over 15 years old in the country. However, the number of addicts in 1382 was one million and two hundred thousand (although we know the exact statistics are not available because there are many hidden and unreported addictions. The statistics can be considered as a black market, with no definite number). At that time, it showed an 8% growth. (6) In 1399, the number of official addicts in the country reached two million and eight hundred thousand. (7) This statistic is from the Anti-Drug Headquarters. Calculate the real number and growth of addiction in the past two decades yourself!

In fact, in the past two decades, in addition to a decrease in the age of addiction, we have also faced an increase in the number of addicts. But this young generation is also taking the initiative towards addiction in their own substances! In the past, there was opium and then it evolved to heroin. Then the era of crack emerged. Now, based on a study conducted by the Addiction Treatment Clinic in Bahman 1398, the new generation of Iranian youth is experiencing addiction to opium, marijuana, and hashish. Alcohol must also be added to these substances, which despite being prohibited in Iran, access to non-standard alcoholic beverages is seen at a high level among all social classes, especially among Iranian youth.

For years, it was said that the reason for addiction is bad company and some even added good coal to it! But the motivations for drug use have a much longer list, many of which are personal factors. Factors such as curiosity, seeking pleasure, pain relief, forgetting problems, joking and laughter, thrill-seeking or risk-taking, feeling grown up, joining a particular group, etc. These reasons, although they may not seem very important, have led millions of people to addiction. (8) Of course, one factor is not the reason for addiction and addiction is a multifactorial issue. Factors that are classified into three main categories: individual, family, and social. Each of them is capable of leading young people to addiction on their own, but in many cases, there are a combination of factors involved, not just one specific factor.

Iran is currently filled with stress-inducing news. The economic situation is unstable and the atmosphere is chaotic. Becoming nervous and facing endless pressures is one of the personal factors that can lead a person towards addiction. Drugs and its state of numbness can temporarily distract a person from their nervous state and the world full of misery. However, being nervous alone is not the only reason for addiction.

Eighteen-year-olds must take the entrance exam to get into university. The monster of the entrance exam continues to claim victims. They must stay up at night and study, hoping to be accepted into a university and secure their future. What better way to stay awake and not blink than with various drugs and stimulants! The first time it works. The second time, maybe. But the result of the third time is addiction. The use of pills and substances increases, leading to a young addict who is disgusted with themselves, pushed away from their family, and isolated from society, university, and everything else.

Other personal factors also play a role in this addiction. Personality disorders such as introversion, depression, low self-esteem, and hyperactivity can lead to unstable and underdeveloped personalities that seek attention in society and family, instead of finding their own path. Sometimes they are not aware of the harmful effects of what they are using, and it is only when they unknowingly fall into the trap of addiction that they realize it. Sometimes, they turn to another addiction in order to escape from one. I had a friend who fell in love once. The girl he liked had set a condition that he quit smoking. He did quit smoking, but instead, he started smoking different types of hookah every day at the local coffee shop. In fact, he had given up one addiction to achieve his goal, but had fallen into another. Add to all of this the factors of adolescent and youthful curiosity, which can lead to “what if I try it?” And sometimes, the reckless use of stronger drugs

But the only isolated individual is not at risk of addiction. He alone is not the factor. We all have families. Their role should not be underestimated.

Parents argue and do not show love to the individual. The individual becomes withdrawn and seeks love elsewhere, often among friends and their activities. This becomes a precursor to addiction. This story has another side as well. Parents show excessive love to the individual. There is no sign of their individual independence. On the one hand, the individual wants to show off among their group of friends. When they are offered something, they feel pressured to accept it in front of the group. Or perhaps they are young and just starting to feel a sense of power! Holding a cigarette in the corner of their mouth gives them a sense of superiority. It is this easy that these relationships can turn into addiction. Again, this story has another side. Parents who constantly control the individual. This is where they rebel against this control. Again, the outcome can easily lead to addiction, to escape from this world for a while or to form a bond with something else or a different, corrupt group.

In a family, other factors can also lead to addiction. From discrimination among children to excessive wealth or extreme poverty. From lack of sufficient knowledge by parents to emotional damage and losing or divorcing one of the parents. From fights between parents to unemployment and weakness in parental supervision. All of these and many other factors in a family can easily become a cause for addiction in a young individual.

But individuals are not the only ones responsible for addiction within families. Society itself is a breeding ground for youth addiction. A society in which “easy access to substances, lack of sports and recreational facilities, unhealthy school environment, academic difficulties, bad influences from peers, unhealthy leisure activities, social unacceptability, cultural poverty, population growth, uncontrolled migration” (9) and dozens of other factors play a role, is not a society that prevents youth addiction, but rather becomes a contributing factor to its intensification. Such a society is not a cure, but rather a source of pain.

Social factors are not the only ones. They themselves are affected by poverty, lack of true social status, unemployment despite education and knowledge of skills. But these are not the only factors. Other factors also disrupt society. A body whose organs are in disorder and this society, with the disruption of each organ, also becomes unstable in other parts.

In Iran today, politics has infiltrated even the most private aspects of people’s lives. This is the sad reality of our society. In countries where there is no democracy and there is no separation between religion and government, the political landscape is not limited to the public sphere, but extends into people’s bedrooms. In such conditions, and in a society filled with political tensions, oppression, and suppression, young people, who see their future in the hands of oppressive forces, turn towards addiction. It can be said that addiction and oppression have a direct relationship with each other. Just as parental oppression in the family is one of the reasons for young people turning to addiction, this same oppression in society also traps a large number of young people who feel hopeless and see no future for themselves. Perhaps one way to reduce addiction is to eliminate oppression from the people of a land.

This group can also add economic issues. For example, “people living in cities where drugs are easily distributed and consumed may become addicted. Additionally, poverty and the presence of addicts around an individual can also lead to their addiction. Financial pressure and the inability to manage finances can also lead an individual towards addiction.” (10) These factors can also be added to the severe class differences (which are prevalent in Iran) and unemployment and joblessness.

Addiction is a disease and an addict is someone who has fallen from the sharp edge of life. Walking the path of life and not falling into drug addiction requires strong determination. All humans have some sort of habit, but when this habit turns into the use of specific substances, it is called addiction. It affects the individual, their family, and society as a whole. In a society where the younger generation can easily access drugs from their favorite books, and in a country that is known as one of the four main drug trafficking routes in the world, under a system where the oppression and interference of the ruling power is a cause of frustration and addiction. Addiction is a disease of our society. Denying it or suppressing it only leads to temporary forgetfulness and not a cure. Perhaps the solution to eradicating addiction from society is to turn humans into self-governing decision makers, something that is not possible under an oppressive system. In my opinion, there is no need for further explanation.

Reviews:

• “Deputy of Mental Health and Addiction Office of the Ministry of Health in an interview with IRNA: The average age of starting drug use in the country has reached 15 years – IRNA – April 14, 2019”

• Listen to Radio Iran 20: “Turkey in a Childish Manner” – Iran Online – July 5, 2021.

• “Decrease in the age of addiction to synthetic drugs – Seda va Sima News Agency – 30 May 2021”

• Impatience, the green light of addiction for teenagers – Iranian Economic News Agency – 15 July 2021

• Reasons for young people’s tendency towards addiction – Pana News Agency – February 4, 2021

• Factors Affecting Drug Addiction in Individuals Aged 15 to 30: A Qualitative Study – Dr. Mohammad Jafar Madbar-Nia, Dr. Seyyed Kambakhsh Mir-Hosseini, Dr. Rasoul Tabari, Dr. Zahra Atarkar-Roshan – Journal of Gilan University of Medical Sciences – 2013

• Official announcement of the number of addicts in Iran – Ensaf News – September 11, 2020

• Causes of youth tendency towards addiction and prevention strategies – Azin Monfaredi, Forough Daftari – Third National Conference on Mental Health and Well-being – 1393 (2014)

• Factors Associated with Addiction in Youth – Masoumeh Koozegar – Shahid Valfajr Health Center – Sib Electronic Monthly – April and May 2020

• The Role of Society in the Addiction of Adolescents and Youth – Dr. Ahayee – Revival Clinic for Neurology and Psychiatry – February 1st, 2021