Evaluation of Drug and Alcohol Abuse in People Aged 15 Years and Older in Iran

Abstract

Background: Drug addiction is known as one of the health, medical and social problems of the present century. Beyond the harmful physical and mental consequences for addicts, drug abuse can cause serious social problems. The aim of this study was to evaluate drug and alcohol abuse in individuals aged 15 yr and over in Iran in 2015.
 Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was done on individuals aged 15 yr and older who lived in urban and rural areas of Iran. Overall, 36,600 individuals were selected by systematic and cluster random sampling. The postal code was used to access the samples in 31 provinces of Iran. In each province 1200 individuals (50% men, 50% women) were evaluated. The used instrument was the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST), and data were analyzed using SPSS software.
 Results: The results showed 4.6% of individuals used Opium and its derivatives, 0.4% used Cannabis, 0.4% used Amphetamine stimulants, 6.1% used Sedative drugs, and 2.6% used Alcoholic beverages on a regular basis. Within the last 12 months, 3.9% of individuals used Opium and its derivatives, 0.4% used Cannabis, 0.3% used Amphetamine stimulants, 5.8% used Sedative drugs, and 1.9% used Alcoholic beverages. With the exception of Sedatives drugs men used more drugs than women and residents of rural areas used more opium and its derivatives than other groups of drugs. Based on the provincial distribution, Kerman and Qom used the highest and lowest prevalence percentage of Opium and its derivatives respectively.
 Conclusion: Overall, 2340000 individuals were addicts used Opium and its derivatives in 2015, therefore, medical and health officials should take all necessary measures to deal with these serious social problems.

Comorbidities of Major Depressive Disorder and Bipolar Disorders in Patients with Substance Use Disorder in Iran Psychiatric Hospital: A Cross-sectional Study

“…Surprisingly, methamphetamine was the most widely used substance, although opioids were the most commonly used substance in the 2 prior studies in Iran, which were conducted on the general population ( 33 , 34 ).…”

Examination of Behavioural Patterns of Psychological Distress and Evaluation of Related Factors

“…2,[13][14][15] The prevalence of PD in Iran is reported to be very diverse, from 10.1% to 57.2%, depending on the questionnaire used, the cut-off point considered, the demographic characteristics and the time of the study. [16][17][18][19][20] Studies in different parts of Iran also show that the prevalence of PD is not only less than the recorded statistics of other countries but also not less than the reports of the World Health Organization and the reported by Noorbala study in Mashhad and Shafiei in Isfahan. 21,22 Three categories of factors include Socio-demographic characteristics (e.g., gender, age, and ethnicity), Factors related to stress (e.g., living conditions and life events), and Personal resources (e.g., income, education, social network, and social support) are recognized as influential factors in PD in the general population.…”

“…[16][17][18][19][20] Studies in different parts of Iran also show that the prevalence of PD is not only less than the recorded statistics of other countries but also not less than the reports of the World Health Organization and the reported by Noorbala study in Mashhad and Shafiei in Isfahan. 21,22 Three categories of factors include Socio-demographic characteristics (e.g., gender, age, and ethnicity), Factors related to stress (e.g., living conditions and life events), and Personal resources (e.g., income, education, social network, and social support) are recognized as influential factors in PD in the general population. 2,9,[23][24][25] Recent studies conducted in different parts of the world showed a high prevalence of PD due to increasing rate of mental disorders like anxiety and depression ones.…”

A comparison of risk factors for relapse in opiate‐related and stimulant‐related substance use disorders: A cross‐sectional multicenter study

“…A comparison of the prevalence of substance use disorders in other countries indicates that substance‐related disorders (except alcohol) were significantly higher than other countries, even compared to the United States as a whole country (Amin‐Esmaeili et al, 2016). Of a population of 81 million people, based on epidemiological studies, it is estimated that about 3 million people have substance use disorder (Noorbala, et al, 2020). Substance use disorder has been identified as one of the primary psychosocial disorders (Amirabadizadeh et al, 2018).…”