Drug Abuse and Women in India

Women and Drug Abuse:

The Problem in India

Highlights of the Report

Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment Government of India

Regional office for South Asia

Drug abuse poses various kinds of problems impacting not just on the individual user, but also on the family and community. The adverse impact of drug use on families is tremendous. It is the family to which the dependent user turns to or turns on either in emotional or physical distress or crisis. Relationships suffer, financial sources get depleted, health costs increase. There are greater employment problems and increased emotional stress. When the drug user stops taking responsibilities on account of drug use, common family responses include depression, stress and resentment. The non-drug using partner may also take to drugs or alcohol for solace. The consequences of drug abuse is often more wretched for families in precarious or povertystricken circumstances. Sexual relationships can become adversely affected. There is a serious risk of transmission of HIV and other blood borne viruses to partners of infected drug users, and of contracting sexually transmitted diseases. Drug use is often associated with domestic violence, which in turn aggravates the physical and emotional distress of the family. Within the family, it is often the woman, in the role of wife or mother who is most affected by the individual’s drug use, and has to bear a significant part of the family burden. Such impact becomes even more obvious in a developing country like India, where women are already disadvantaged. This aspect of the burden of drug use on women in India has received scant attention. Like many other societies, Indian society is a society in transition. Changing roles, increased stress and alterations in lifestyle bring with them newer problems. Although the problem of drug abuse among women is being increasingly recognized, female drug problems do not usually show up in official drug statistics. This is...