Authors
Abstract
Extended Abstract
Introduction
The countryside is popularly associated with peace and tranquility; yet for many people rural life can be a stressful experience, provoked by isolation, pressures to conform, the inability to escape or hide in close-knit communities, crime, drug, lack of diverting entertainment and strain of economic restructuring, particularly in agriculture. Addiction is one the challenges in rural communities which has spread from the past and resulted in disturbances in rural systems. During the recent years, addiction has caused debilitation in human resources and resulted in less efficient work forces. It has caused imbalance in economic, cultural, social and political situations and has been the reason associated with lots of crimes. Addiction, by itself, loses lots of human and financial resources and prevents villages from developing. The present study is aimed at considering the reasons for trend towards addiction and its spreading in villages located in Choardoli’s rural district in Ghorveh County. The purpose of this study is to know effective factors on increasing the number of addicts, so that one can study and analyze these factors in order to make a plan for reducing the addiction in rural societies.
Methodology
In this research, the statistical society is those villages located in western part of the Choardoli’s rural district. The sampling method was based on sapling offield in which the villages are selected based on factors such as population, accessibility to the counties and distance from county. The data are gathered by personal interviews and questionnaires. the interviewed persons are selected randomly and the addicted population are recognized and sampled by the snowball qualitative method. The method of analysis is descriptive-analytical based on qualitative criteria. The interviewed person’s opinion is directly reflected in the research results. In the snowball method the addict introduces another person to the researcher and thus, all the real addicts are being found. It must be noted that the person who uses drugs from time to time is not counted as addict. This method of data gathering has a high level of certainty on the data obtained.
Results and Discussion
The findings of the present study shows that various factors have contributed to an increase of addiction trend, which according to the percentage are: enjoyment and leisure (24.07%), unemployment (20.37%), easy access to drugs (16.67%), existence addicts in friends and relatives (14.81%), family problems (5.56), using drugs as caring elements (5.56), stress (3.70), adventure and curiosity (3.70), failed marriage (1.85). In the opinion of researchers a main factor which is behind the mentioned ones is that increasing of addiction is mainly caused by a new cultural phenomen in which addictive drugs are used extensively in night parties. This study also highlights that the accessibility factor is an important parameter and the villages with better access to urban sites have a higher percentage of drug addicts. For example Nazem Abad which is located between several urban sites and has a good connecting roads showed the highest percentage of addicts. In addition seasonal unemployment and relation with addicted friends have shown to be important factors.
Conclusion
According to the findings of the present study the most important factors which contribute to the addiction spreading are: easy access to drugs, unemployment, enjoyment and leisure, addicted in friends and relatives, stress, using addicted as cure, adventure and curiosity, failed marriage. Nowever, increasing trends toward use of addictive in night parties makes a great contribution. This factor should be highlighted and rural families should be trained in order to avoid these night parties. Other suggestions to decrease addiction in rural societies are: monitoring children especially in work seasons, training health center operators, and village councils.
Keywords
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