Drug use patterns and demographic correlations of residents of Saudi therapeutic communities for addiction

This study describes the characteristics of residents in Saudi therapeutic communities (TCs), their patterns of drug use, and the correlations between these variables.

This retrospective study examined all Saudi TC residents admitted since the establishment of the first TC in 2000 until mid-2014. The TCs include three governmental and two non-governmental enterprises: two TCs in Dammam and one each in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Taif, with a total population of 2023 residents.

All TC residents were adult males; 85.6% were Saudis, and almost all remaining residents were from the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. The mean age of residents was 33.9 years (±8.8 years), and their educational levels were mostly high school or lower; 25% were married, and 70.8% were jobless. The pattern of drug use indicated that 35.8% used opioids, 15% used hash, 11.9% used both hash and amphetamine, 11.1% used amphetamine, 7.9% used alcohol, and 10.9% used 3 or more drugs simultaneously. Amphetamine and hash dependencies were more prevalent among younger residents in comparison to opioids and alcohol, which were more common among older residents. Opioids were more used by the western region residents, while northern and southern regions residents preferred amphetamine.

This study showed that the residents' drug use patterns are similar to those in other inpatient treatment services. However, opioid dependency is overrepresented. Furthermore, the type of drug used differs according to the residence region, which may warrant consideration when planning services for these regions.