Outcast: Egypt's growing addiction problem
Care for those addicted to drugs is woefully inadequate in Egypt, adding to the problem
Al Ahram (Egypt)
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Assistant professor of psychology at the American University in Cairo (AUC) Mona Amer says that a number of factors lead to drug abuse in Egypt. These include a number of "macro" factors such as the availability of drugs, the cultural environment which promotes or condones its use, and mainstream culture, in addition to some "micro" factors such as peer pressure, and more individual factors like curiosity, boredom and seeking escape. Post-revolution Egypt’s changing social structure, together with urbanisation and crippling unemployment rates, are other major factors contributing to addiction. Tramadol was upgraded in severity to "scheduled drug" last year, meaning that users must get have a doctor’s prescription.
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