Multidimensional Nature of Substance Use Disorder: Explorations in Gangtok

Abstract

ABSTRACT The study investigates the prevalence of substance use disorder and role of institutions in preventing it in Gangtok, a capital city of the northern Indian state of Sikkim. A survey of 816 respondents was undertaken using a short and easy-to-understand questionnaire. Results reveal that 64% of respondents identified persons with harmful drug use in their immediate families or in their neighborhoods and nearly same percentage of people conceal the actual cause of death in cases where death occurred due to drug overuse. The paper uncovers that cases of substance use disorder have increased and a considerable number of people are reported dying due to it, but families often hide the actual cause of death. The role of institutions is found to be limited in preventing it, as the process of knowledge transmission among families and patients with heavy drug use is abysmally slow. The study argues to empowering society with a potential tool, that is, knowledge transmission, and enabling them to devise meaningful tools to tackle rising cases of substance use disorder.