Social Factors Influencing Youth Addiction in Ilam Province

Among the hazardous factors for society, addiction has duly attracted many scholars’ attention. The province of Ilam is seriously exposed to such a danger. Among other reasons, factors such as young structure of the population, special geographical location, its neighborhood to addiction triangle (Kermanshah, Lorestan and Khuzestan provinces), and close relationship between Ilam and these provinces has negatively affected the scope of addiction in Ilam, so that from 70s to date the number of addicts has noticeably increased. The growing number of drug addicts with their age being on the decrease has rendered addiction a social problem in the province. Thus, the present article studies related social factors of addiction among the youth from a sociological point of view seeking to point out influential conditions present in the social environment of an addict. In this study we selected survey research method. The required data has been collected and analyzed has been obtained through questionnaires filled in by a sample group of 132, 15-35 year-old addicts staying at Ilam’s Rehabilitation Center. Face validity were used for validity and Coronbach alpha was used for research reliability. The statistical methods of Pearson correlation and qui-squire were use to test the hypothesis. The results indicate that 48% of the respondents belong to 20-30 age groups. 74.5% were born in urban areas and 88.7% lived in the cities. 52.5% of the respondents were unemployed and 86.1% of the employed respondents were working in low statues private sectors. 29% had family traces for addiction and 46.2% of the respondents had more than three addicted friends with the average of 3.5 years of addiction period. Analysis of the collected data is indicative of the considerable impact of familiar effects, such as disorders in the family, propensity to addiction in the family, discrepancies in parental control, and lack of emotional attachment to the family on addiction among the youth. Among other factors observable in the study of the sample group, mention should be made of the destructive effect of uncontrolled opportunities, negative peer pressure, and unsuitable educational environment. In addition to endangering people’s health, addiction weakens their social norms and values. It also leads to cultural, social and personal collapse. a) The present confirmatory study notes a high degree of relationship between addiction and family background, its cultural orientation, family loyalty, and family discrimination and disorganization. When family does not shelter their members securely, they will join other social groups in which they feel secure. Such groups like deviant peers or friends often put them to danger. b) Due to the tendency for assimilation and imitation from friends, juvenile negative behavior may often result in familiarity with access to the drug materials. Meanwhile the study confirms the effect of juvenile subculture on the addiction among friends. The present research also supports an indirect relationship between addiction and religious commitment. That is, the probability for addiction grows when people are less committed to religious rituals. This is because such people have lower degree of self control for sin. The existing relationship between socializing institutions e.g. family, group of peers, educational environment, work place, uncontrolled social opportunities, etc. calls for the utilization of educational programs to strengthen the institution of the family, help with family management, and supervise the youth regarding uncontrolled social opportunities and contacts.