Evaluation of Knowledge and Attitude toward Substances of Abuse and Reasons for Taking Psychoactive Substances among Patients Abusing Illicit Substances

Background: Drug abuse is a complex phenomenon, which has various social, cultural, and biological aspects. Knowledge and attitude toward substances of abuse among users are of vital importance for their prevention and treatment, especially in adolescents, as it is the age when the majority of drug users start the use of various substances. Methods: One hundred patients of opioid dependence admitted to a psychiatry ward were assessed using a semi-structured pro forma, which assessed the knowledge, reasons for initiating, and attitude toward substances on a Likert scale. The age of the first intake of substances, frequency of drug use, and physical and psychological changes after intake of substances were also evaluated. Results: Joy-seeking (91%), lack of knowledge about complications/hazards of drugs (89%), friends offer/peer pressure (87%) followed by low self-confidence (86%), and to eliminate shyness (85%) were found as major reasons for initiating the opioid use. Social factors such as family disputes (23%) and parents' divorce (20%) were considered the least unlikely excuse for substance abuse. Young respondents (ages of 20-29 years) reported a decrease in shyness and improved self-esteem as reasons for intake. Conclusions: Different regions and different age groups seem to have different factors as psychosocial etiologies of substance abuse. Policymakers and other agencies need to look into this before making strategies for controlling this menace.