Status and Trend of Substance Abuse and Dependence among Iranian Women

The aim of this study was to evaluate the status of substance abuse and dependence among women addicts in Iran. A descriptive study was conducted on women addicts. Thirty individuals were selected from women who had referred to rehabilitation centers for treatment and had been formally recognized to have had a 2-year history of addiction. They were then interviewed with an open-ended inventory. Most women were in the age range of 26-30 years. Crack (60%) and methamphetamine (46.6%) were reportedly most abused. The amount daily abused was 1-1.5 grams. The method of abuse was smoking (80%), inhaling (6.7%), and injection (13.3%). About 73.3% of women switched their drugs in the short time. The cause of drug change was mostly hedonism, and the cause of addiction was mostly having an addict spouse. The trend of drug abuse in women is more hazardous than in men, and is different too. Women addicts receive less emotional and financial support from their families and the society than their male counterparts. Among other results of this research are: changing patterns of substance abuse among women, their increased use of industrial substances, and earlier age of onset.