الفهرس 
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Abstract
Background:
Drug addiction is a major problem that is becoming more prevalent among adolescents and adults. Addiction is a brain disorder in which the addict gets dependent on chemical substances that alter the brain’s functions.
Addiction is considered to be a family disease, when one family member struggles with addiction, the illness may have a detrimental impact on other members of the family system by causing them to experience increased stress and worry. Guilt, responsibility, uncertainty, rage, grief, and other emotions may disrupt the entire family, leading to greater conflict, isolation, and dysfunction.
Aim of the study:
To evaluate the burden of addiction among addicts and their families in Minia hospital for mental health and addiction treatment, also to assess the perceived discrimination against the addict and to determine causes of addiction, motives that push addicts for quitting and treatment and reasons behind failure to quit.
Research methodology:
This is a cross-sectional hospital-based study that was conducted among 150 addicts and their family caregivers in Minia Hospital for Mental Health and Addiction Treatment during the period from January 2020 and January2021.
Participants were recruited from hot line clinic in Minia hospital for mental health and addiction treatment, visits were conducted twice weekly Sunday and Tuesday in the period between January2020 and January2021.
Participants were interviewed at the hot line clinic in Minia hospital for mental health and addiction treatment, explanation of the nature of the study was done and then patients were invited to sign an informed consent form that includes permission to contact the patient’s relatives. Then they were invited to fill the study tools which were first translated into the Arabic language, as Egyptian citizens are native speakers of Arabic, Translation was undertaken by experts fluent in both languages to ensure that the exact meaning was achieved.
Data collection tools:
1-Drug Use Questionnaire (DAST-20).
2-Severity of Dependence Scale (SDS).
3-Perceived Devaluation Discrimination scale (PDD).
4- Family Burden Interview Schedule (FBIS).
Results:
This study was conducted among150 addicts and their caregivers, most of the studied addicts (79.3%) were of middle age group age group (20-40 years), with males accounting for the majority of the addicts (96.7%), studied addicts mostly (34.7%) reported performance related causes of addiction. Health and legal concern were the most common motives for quitting (25.3% and 24.7%), drug withdrawal was the main reason behind failure of quitting (30.7%).
The addicts were found to have a high level of dependence (mean SDS score of 11.29 ± 3.48) and mostly affected by a drug related problem (48.7% had substantial problem and 45.3% had severe problem). A high perceived stigma (81.3%) was reported by the addicts.
The most of family caregivers (93.3%) reported severe burden, the highest burden perceived was the financial burden (mean score was 9.11± 2.27) followed by disruption of routine activities (mean score was (7.72 ± 1.74) then disruption of family interaction (mean score was 7.62 ± 2.64).
There was a significant association between drug related problem and social support and hospital admission, good support was inversely associated with (DAST-20) score. Family burden score was significantly associated with higher drug related problems and the addict gender, being a female was inversely associated with sever family burden.
Recommendations:
1.It is necessary to promote an assertive program through mass media to raise awareness among the general public about the reasons of addiction and how to avoid it, as well as an to know about how addiction devastate persons, families, communities.
2.There is a critical need to enhance communication between families and health care providers of addicts, as well as to boost social and psychological support to lessen the stress of caring and to engage families actively in the therapeutic process, which improves treatment efficacy.
3.Additional researches with qualitative and quantitative study methods are also suggested in the area of addiction and its prevention.