Profile of drug users in Karachi city, Pakistan

Abstract

Drug use has been identified as a major public health issue in Pakistan. A descriptive questionnaire survey in Karachi city was made to identify the socioeconomic profile and beliefs and practices of 500 drug users. The most commonly used drugs were cocaine (19.0%) and crack-cocaine (15.0%), followed by amphetamines (11.0%), alcohol, caffeine, barbiturates and benzodiazepines (10.0% each). Key psychological factors leading to drug use were problems with parental or marital relations or break-up of a relationship (45.0%). Drugs were seen as an escape from stressful life events (28.0%) or feelings of failure (18.2%). Many drug users blamed the origins of their drug use on bad social influences (47.0%) or socioeconomic problems (23.4%). Preventive measures are needed to decrease the rate of drug addiction in Karachi. RÉSUMÉ L'usage de drogues a été identifié comme un problème de santé publique majeur au Pakistan. Une enquête descriptive par questionnaire dans la ville de Karachi a été élaborée pour identifier le profil socioéconomique de 500 utilisateurs de drogues, leurs croyances et leurs pratiques. Les drogues les plus fréquemment utilisées étaient la cocaïne (19,0 %) et le crack (15,0 %), suivies par les amphétamines (11,0 %), l'alcool, la caféine, les barbituriques et les benzodiazépines (10,0 % respectivement). Les facteurs psychologiques déclenchants conduisant à l'utilisation de drogues étaient les problèmes relationnels avec des parents ou avec des conjoints ou une rupture relationnelle (45,0 %). Les drogues étaient perçues comme une échappatoire aux événements stressants de la vie (28,0 %) ou aux sentiments d'échec (18,2 %). De nombreux utilisateurs de drogues expliquaient que les mauvaises fréquentations (47,0 %) ou les problèmes socio-économiques (23,4 %) étaient à l'origine de leur utilisation de drogues. Des mesures préventives sont nécessaires pour réduire le taux de toxicomanie à Karachi.

Profile of Substance Use among Patients Attending De-Addiction Centres in a Coastal City of Southern India

“…Studies from Pakistan [5], [6] and India [8] have reported similar observations in this regard. A study from Ahmadabad,India [9] observed 46% patients to be below 20 years of age.…”

“…None of the patients in our study were unemployed prior to getting admitted to the centre and nearly half of them (48.2%) were involved in skilled work. In Karachi, Pakistan [6] 29.6% patients were unemployed; whereas in Chennai, India [10] 31.7% were unemployed. A very small number of patients in our study (3.6%) were either divorced or separated which is significantly lower to that reported in a study from Singapore [7] where 22.3% patients were divorced or separated.…”

Profile of substance abusers attending at de-addiction center of GMERS medical college, Dharpur-Patan, Gujarat, India: a cross sectional study

“…In Karachi, Pakistan 29.6% patients were unemployed; whereas in Chennai, India 31.7% were unemployed. 19,20 A very small number of patients in our study (4.6%) were either divorced or separated which is significantly lower to that reported in a study from Naskar NN et al where 22.3% patients were divorced or separated. 21 The presence of substance use in the family seems to be a significant factor in our study when compared to studies from Ahmadabad and Ghaziabad, where family history of substance use was observed in 26% and 24.8% patients respectively.…”

Contributing and consequential correlates of illicit substance use among students

“…Many drug users blamed the origins of their drug use on bad social influences (47.0%) or socioeconomic problems (23.4%). 21 In a survey 31% adolescents reported that their best friends consume drugs out of which 22% themselves were drug abusers 20 which is in agreement with current study but the percentage for friends as protagonist is 50% identified. The percentage value for having best friends who also consume drugs for frequent abusers was very high i.e.…”