Turkey: An Overview on National Drug Use, Treatment Design, and the Characteristics of Patients Utilizing Treatments

Existing research on the patterns and risk factors of drug use and how they vary by age and location in Turkey is limited. The paper will examine the drug treatment options within Turkey as well as the socio-demographic characteristics, behaviors, treatment history, and identified correlates of lifetime and current injection drug use of Turkish citizens who were admitted to inpatient substance use treatment at public and private facilities in Turkey during 2012 and 2013. Of the 11,247 patients at the 22 public treatment centers in 2012-2013, a majority were male, lived with family, were unemployed, and had an average age of 27 years. Significant predictors of injection drug use included being homeless, having higher education, heroin as a preferred drug, having a longer duration of drug use, and prior drug treatment. With this information, greater prevention and intervention efforts can be made to reduce the transition to drug use among the youth population as well as improve access to a variety of tailored treatment options