Heroin Users: From Early Delinquency to Drug Dependency
IS~Ii\lLSAID and YMIWA AL-KIl ARAZR AJ
Department of Sociology, Facult y ofArts
&Humanities, King Abdulaii: University, Jeddah, SOlidi Ambia
Ausm An . Theobjectof this empiricalstudy istodeterminethemain social and environmentalfactors accountable for heroinuse inSaudi Arabia.The studyalso auemptstoexamine, in relationtothenatureof hemin. itself, some reasons for its preference.byitsusers.The principal findings of thestudyare based on in-depthinterviews with (70)heroinaddictsin treatmentat Al-Amal Hospitalin Jeddah.Thefield study was carriedout fromthefirstJunetomid- September1995.
Theresultsreveulthat thevast majorityof the respondentsshowsimilarsocio- econo micand family churacterisrics,suchas brokenfamily.low incomeback- grounds.loweducationallevels.irregularreligious practices. andprevious de- linquencies.The fi ndingsalso indicate thatthe majority of therespondentshad a longhistory ofsubstanceabuse(i.e.. alcohol.cannabis.and a wholerange of amphetamines and tranquilizers).before turning to heroinuse.Several main reasonsarcgivenbythe intervieweesfor theirinvolvementin heroin abuse.
firstly.the prevalenceofheroinuseamongstmanyof their friendswho also previously abused other kinds ofdrugs.Secondly. the availability of large sup- plies ofheroinin the illegaldrugmarket.Thirdly.theirignorance of the neg- alive effects of heroinabuse. Finally. thescarcity.in theregion.of drugsthey were familiarwith.
