Exploring substance use habits among young people in terms of social risk factors, a qualitative research

Drug use, which is also considered a youth problem, is one of the most important issues threatens individuals' present and future, as well as disrupt public healt and order. With the globalization of the World, the production and distribution of these substances has become easier; and drug addiction, which enslaves more and more people every day in our country and around the World, has become a threat to public healt beyond the individual. Türkiye's location on the global drug trafficking route, coupled with its exposure to large waves of migration due to varius reasons such as war, places it in the category of high-risk countries (EMCDDA, 2024: 71, 72, 83). Furthermore, the fact that the age of initiation into drug use coincides with adolescence and young adulthood directly targets individuals who are searhing for their identity and have low resistance to external dangers. While technological developments have made it easier to access these substances, the loss of family's influence in preventing deviant behavior and the development of substitute affiliations with danferous peer groups are also among the most significant risk factors for substance use. The weekining of family bonds makes it difficult for individuals to internalize social norms and avoid deviant behavior through social control mechanisms. In this context, adolescence, the period during which the tendency to start using drugs is most frequently observed, is considered one of the most critical stages in terms of substance use risk. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to examine the life stories, social relationships, daily life practices, and reasons for the first time substance use of young people with substance use experience and to evaluate these factors within the framework of social risk factors through systematic analysis. In this regard, the study population consists of young people aged 15-30 living in the province of Aydın who use or are addicted to drugsand who are able tos hare their experiences, observations or knowledge on this subject. The sample of the study consists of 44 drug users aged 15-30 in the province of Aydın, who were reached through the snowball sampling method. The qualitative method was preferred in the study; research data was obtained through in-depth interview techniques conducted face-to-face with the participants, which providing the opportunity to directly observe their emotions, gestures, and facial expressions. In these interviews, which were conducted on a voluntary basis, participants were asked 63 questinons. These questions included themes such as family, social circle, sociocultural and socioeconomic conditions, trauma history, school life, psychological factors, and stigmatization; most of the time, the interviews progressed through mutual interaction without strictly adhering to the questions.