“بهار آمد و با گل هایش زندگی را زیبا کرد”

Spring came and made life beautiful with its flowers.
Amir Rezai

Humans have always faced numerous challenges, problems, and personal and social issues during their lifetime, and have constantly struggled to overcome them. Nowadays, one of the prevalent issues in many countries that has become normalized is the consumption of alcoholic beverages.

In Iranian laws, the consumption of alcoholic beverages is considered a deviance, social harm, and crime. Despite this perception, according to statistics published by official organizations and centers, we are witnessing a significant increase in the consumption of various alcoholic beverages in Iranian society, especially among young people.

The results of the first national mental health survey in 1390 (2011-2012), conducted by the Ministry of Health, showed that 85.7% of the population aged 15 to 64 have consumed alcohol at least once. 4.22% of this population have experienced alcohol abuse (excessive consumption and one step before addiction to alcohol).

In addition, the World Health Organization published a report in 2014 on alcohol consumption around the world, in which Iran ranked 166th. However, what is noteworthy in this report is that the per capita alcohol consumption in Iran among those who consume alcoholic beverages is about 25 liters per year (around 27 for men and 18 for women), ranking Iran 19th in this regard. This is higher than countries such as Russia (ranked 30th), Germany (ranked 83rd), England (ranked 95th), and the United States (ranked 104th).

Given that the import, production, distribution, and consumption of alcoholic beverages is prohibited and considered a crime in Iran, as a result, the import, production, and distribution of alcoholic beverages have turned into an underground trade, which on one hand brings profitable income for importers, producers, and distributors, and on the other hand, due to the lack of supervision over the quantity and quality of alcoholic beverages, has led to an increase in poisoning and even death among consumers.

If we consider the phenomenon of excessive consumption of beverages as a social issue in Iran today, the question that arises is what are the influential factors in the tendency towards consuming these types of beverages in Iranian society?

Research has been conducted in this regard by organizations and government and university centers, which have reached results based on the opinions of experts and considering hypotheses and questions. Here, in order to examine and answer the question raised, the results of research and evidence have been used and it can be said that the factors influencing the tendency towards alcohol consumption are:

• Social frustration and unfulfilled needs and demands of individuals in society have increased psychological and social problems and provided the grounds for pushing individuals towards crime, drug use, or alcohol consumption.

• The more hopeful individuals are about the future, the less alcohol they consume.

• In families with weak control and supervision, or a history of alcohol consumption among family members, the consumption of alcoholic beverages is higher than in families with strong family control and supervision, or where none of the family members consume alcoholic beverages.

• There is a significant direct relationship between family problems and the level of alcohol consumption.

• Lack of social and life skills and healthy living has a direct impact on consumption; the more a person learns and acquires necessary social and healthy life skills, on one hand, they become more resilient and self-controlled in terms of personality and able to tolerate life pressures, and on the other hand, their tendency towards alcohol consumption decreases.

• Connecting with peers and individuals who are struggling with addiction or social abnormalities, or with individuals who are involved in the production, distribution, or consumption of alcoholic beverages, can lead to a tendency towards alcohol consumption.

• The more access people have to alcoholic beverages, the higher their inclination and consumption will be.

• The level of religious beliefs and beliefs has a significant and inverse relationship with the tendency to consume alcoholic beverages.

• The lack of healthy entertainment options or the high cost of those activities has led to a greater inclination of individuals towards alcoholic beverages.

• Individuals’ attention to the immediate and psychological effects of alcoholic beverages in creating a sense of liveliness or happiness leads to their tendency to consume alcoholic beverages.

• The tendency and consumption of alcoholic beverages in individuals who belong to a society or family where alcohol consumption is common and considered as a taboo or unrecognized issue in their culture is higher.

• As people get older, their tendency towards consumption decreases.

• Similarly, the average consumption among single individuals is higher than married individuals.

These factors can be considered as the main factors influencing people’s tendency towards consuming alcoholic beverages in Iran. Perhaps dear readers may also add other factors and variables in the form of a hypothesis to the mentioned factors above, which are the result of their biological experience or observations.