Psycho-social Factors that Lead to Heroin Addiction among Young Males in Turkey

Abstract

Heroin has become a subject of growing concern in Turkey due to the rapid increase among young adultsusing and becoming addicted to it. Thus, the purpose of this qualitative study is to identify the psycho-socialfactors that lead to heroin addiction in young males based on their life experiences. The sample consists of18 young males (aged 18-24) who have been diagnosed with heroin addiction and are currently receivinginpatient treatment for substance use disorder. Based on the semi-structured face-to-face interviews, thefindings reveal that heroin addiction develops gradually over time as an outcome of various preliminaryfactors. Such factors include: lack of interest in school and family relationships, growing up in the streetculture, a tendency toward addiction, and negative role models/peers. Moreover, the progression ofaddiction results in physical, mental, social, and economic losses, all of which trigger the desire to quitheroin and seek treatment. The implication of the findings is that, because heroin addiction is an outcomeof various factors, multi-dimensional and multi-disciplinary studies on heroin addiction that include the lifeexperiences of heroin addicts are necessary.