Photo : TDM
The number of girls addicted to drugs is higher than boys in the country, and married individuals consume drugs more frequently than single ones. Additionally, the alarming rate of drug use among the educated population indicates a concerning trend of drug spread.
Local organizations working with drug addicts, including the National Institute of Mental Health, have provided information on the increasing trend of drug addiction among educated women due to various reasons, including urban loneliness, depression, and relationship uncertainties. The Daily Messenger has also investigated this issue.
The process of recovery from drug addiction is more complex for women than for men due to genetic differences, according to physicians.
Popy Rahman (pseudonym), an addiction survivor, who has been treated three times at Dhaka Ahsania Mission (Women) Drug Addiction Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre, started taking drugs during her second year of studying Fashion Design at Shanta Mariam University.
Popy said, "We had to stay up late for ramp shows and modelling sessions. I started taking drugs from there." She began using drugs from her senior classmates and eventually became close to her husband while using drugs. Popy married him after some time.
Popy revealed that she and her husband obtained drugs from a close group of friends named ‘Friends Needs’. However, she was kicked out of the group after being treated for drug addiction twice. Popy's husband, a businessman, was also a drug addict, but he has recovered. Popy, on the other hand, has not been able to overcome her addiction.
Popy plans to volunteer for the Ahsania Mission Drug Addiction Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre once her treatment completes.
According to Rakhi Ganguly, a senior psychologist at Dhaka Ahsania Mission (Women) Drug Addiction Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre, approximately 60% of daily visitors seeking treatment for drug addiction are women. They are primarily educated and employed, and the level of drug use among them is increasing.
"In the field of treatment for drug addicts, we see that almost 60 per cent of those who come daily are women. They are mostly educated and employed. The level of drug-taking among women is increasing day by day,” Rakhi Ganguly said.
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) released a report in 2020 titled 'Drug Use Prevalence in Bangladesh,' which examines the state of drug addiction in the country. Based on a survey conducted across Bangladesh, the study revealed that girls take drugs at a higher rate than boys. The data from the sample indicates that 47.2 per cent of boys use drugs, compared to 52.8 per cent of girls.
Faruk Alam, the former director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) who conducted the research, said to The Daily Messenger that an increasing number of girls are becoming addicted to drugs compared to boys. He further noted that girls, especially artistes and models, consume substances like yaba, cannabis, and various sleeping pills. These substances are often used to suppress their appetite and keep them energetic.
The study found that the number of drug addicts in the country is highest among housewives and the unemployed. Both groups have an equal rate of 31.7 per cent. Among the remaining 36 per cent, 17.2 per cent are students, 14.2 per cent are traders, 11.5 per cent are farmers, 9.4 per cent are labourers, 8 per cent are on jobbers, 0.6 per cent are domestic workers, and 1.7 per cent are other occupations.
Moreover, the report highlighted that married people have the highest prevalence of drug use at 75.2 per cent, while institutionally educated individuals have a higher drug use rate at 71.4 per cent.
A research article published in 2021 in the PLoS One journal indicates that the rate of drug addiction is increasing rapidly in Bangladesh. The article titled 'Substance Use Behavior and Its Lifestyle Risk Factors in Bangladeshi High School-going Adolescents: An Exploratory Study' reveals that approximately 2.5 million people in the country are drug users, and about 80 per cent of them are between the ages of 15 and 30.
Women are often influenced to use drugs by friends or relatives. Payal Haque (pseudonym), who is currently receiving treatment at the Dhaka Ahsania Mission (Women) Drug Addiction Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for the second time, shared her experience, stating, “Despite my family's religious upbringing, I started taking drugs during my university studies in Gazipur at the persuasion of my seniors. I used the money intended for my studies to purchase drugs. After being caught by my family, I secretly continued using drugs and eventually joined a secret messenger group called ‘Weed Needs’ to obtain drugs closer to home."
Tasfia Aman (pseudonym), who is undergoing treatment at the Mukti Mental Hospital and Drug Addiction Treatment Center on Elephant Road in Dhaka, shared that she started using drugs while studying for her BBA at a private university. She was introduced to drugs by her elder siblings and later began using them with her boyfriend.
According to a study conducted by the Dhaka Ahsania Mission Drug Addiction Treatment and Rehabilitation Center, the rate of drug addiction is higher among members of single families than joint families. Of those addicted, 57.6 per cent were from single families, while 42.4 percent were from joint families.
The National Institute of Mental Health has reported that drug use is most prevalent among the 13- to 30-year-old age group. Among drug addicts, 42.7 per cent are addicted to marijuana, 27.5 per cent to alcohol, 15.2 per cent to amphetamine or Yaba, and 5.4 per cent to Phensidyl.
Research shows that drug sales online and through ‘home delivery’ have increased in recent years to avoid various risks. Young people, especially women, are more comfortable buying drugs online.
Manjurul Islam, Deputy Director of Narcotics Control Directorate, has stated that drugs are delivered to homes by ordering online through various groups of drug addicts and sellers on Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Viber, and IMO. Drug dealers add known and loyal clients to different groups on these platforms and use sign language to ensure safety. Gangs use similar group names, making it difficult to determine which groups are active in Bangladesh. Various types of drugs are being brought into the country from outside through the dark web and Bitcoin.
Raihanul Islam, a psychiatrist at the Central Drug Addiction Treatment Centre in Tejgaon, has noted that he is learning about online drug ordering and home delivery from those who come in for treatment. Many drug addicts procure drugs online, a trend that has increased during the Covid-19 pandemic.
TDM/SD
