Year: 2025 | Month: June | Volume: 12 | Issue: 6 | Pages: 270-282
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52403/ijrr.20250632
The Striking Effects of Substance Abuse on the Socio-Cultural Life in Darjeeling Hills
Anmol Lama
Research Scholar at Department of Social Work, Visva-Bharati (A Central University), Santiniketan, West Bengal, India
Corresponding Author: Anmol Lama
ABSTRACT
Social and cultural groups utilize alcohol and narcotics, ranging from recreational to spiritual, medicinal to ritual. There are many factors linked with drug addiction, such as family, environment, finances, etc., and social and cultural aspects are also among those factors. However, the substance that individuals consume for the sake of culture may cause addiction, harming a person's health and social life.
The data for this qualitative study was collected using a Case study Guide as a tool and a Case study as a technique, using in-depth interviews to study the social and cultural factors related to drug addiction, such as cultural beliefs, consequences, cultural immigration, etc Primary and secondary sources were used to gather the data.
The study's primary respondents were ten substance users and 20 non-substance users of different age groups. According to the results, people who use drugs and those who do not share a common social and cultural belief about drugs and addiction. Regular users and those who have never tried it tend to agree that drugs are significantly more dangerous than alcohol. Another factor contributing to youth addictions is a lack of parental supervision and encouragement. There was a generational divide on whether or not immigrants from other countries carry their drug usage patterns with them. While the older generation did not find any connection between drug use and immigration, the younger generation saw it as a direct result of the widespread availability of drugs.
Keywords: social, cultural factors, drug addicts, drug addiction
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