Differences in Patterns of Substance use between Cairo and Aswan

Abstract

rug abuse is a major behavioral problem which poses an overwhelming burden upon the public’s’ health and national economies. Drug dependence represents a worldwide challenging public health problem with different etiology and motives. All countries suffer from this problem regardless of their state of development, civilization or security. In the last few years, public and medical attention have been directed to the medical consequences of this behavior due to the increasing number of drug abusers seeking medical care and rehabilitation services. Moreover, the rapid spread of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) among intravenous drug abusers has been the most potent catalyst focusing medical and social attention. The definitions of drug abuse behaviors are still a matter of great controversy. However, drug abuse, habituation, addiction and dependence are various terms defined by the World Health Organization (WHO). For instance, drug abuse was defined as “persistent or sporadic excessive drug use which is unrelated to acceptable medical practice,” while drug addiction was defined as “a state of periodic or persistent intoxication produced by repeated consumption of the drug. The WHO also defines drug habituation as “a condition resulting from repeated consumption of a drug without production of all criteria of drug addiction.”