Frequency of Drug Use in the Adult Population of Therapeutic Communities in Ecuador

Abstract

Introduction: Drug consumption is a serious and multicausal phenomenon that daily intensifies and modifies the relationship with the reality of the human being because it stimulates the pleasure circuit and makes consumers seek rewards in the increase of the same, which triggers a dependence that affects the individual, family and social level. This reward circuit can be modified to the extent that the consumption of any drug is definitively avoided. Objective: To determine the frequency of drug use among adults in therapeutic communities in Ecuador. Methodology: A quantitative, descriptive cross-sectional study with a sample of 480 intentionally selected adult drug users in Ecuador, by non-probabilistic sampling, with a 95% confidence interval. Results: Concerning the frequency of consumption of drugs such as tobacco, alcohol, coca, inhalants, tranquilizers, hallucinogens and opioids, the level of significance with the sociodemographic variables of the study is less than 0.05, so the variables are dependent, and there is a significant relationship between them. Conclusions: The study showed that the frequency of drug use is associated with sociodemographic variables with a statistical association and a significance level equal to or less than 0.05.