A Study of the Effects of Drug Addicted Fathers on Families in Tehran, Iran

Drug addiction is a social problem that destroys families and communities. It has disastrous social effects, not only on the addicted individual, but also on their families. The present study is a sociological analysis of people's experiences living in households with a drug addicted member. This research is based on qualitative investigation of these types of families with the focus on wives and daughters of the addicted member. It was conducted in Tehran, the capital city of Iran. To better understand these experiences, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 participants. The interviews were analysed using a qualitative framework. Our results show that these families have endured agonizing periods. The problems they encountered can be divided into two groups: (1) Problems related to their primary needs (i.e. shelter, food, health and treatment, education, security, and peace), and (2) The rest of their problems related to their relationships and interactions with the rest of the community. The experiences of families with a member who is suffering from substance abuse include tension, uncertainty, anxiety, indifference from the individual addict, threat to their livelihood, shame, damaged dignity, isolation, loneliness, deprivation of support from others, and feelings of pain and misery. Furthermore, these issues in addition to a lack of adequate social support (emotional, consultation, and financial) provide the ground for further social harms and other pitfalls for these families.