Abstract

Drug addiction is a major social problem across the globe, but the extent of its impact differs with the Socio-Economic Status (SES). This paper focuses on how class affects rates of addiction, treatment, and culture. People from low-income families are more likely to be affected by addiction due to financial hardships, lack of education and limited employment opportunities. Such problems make them reach for drugs to help them cope. On the other hand, the higher income individuals have easier time seeking for mental health care and other forms of support and hence they do not turn to drugs. The issue of access to treatment also shows the clear division between the rich and the poor. Rich people can seek for private rehabilitation centres and quality health care while the poor are left with long waiting times in overworked public systems. This lack of easy access to care simply maintains the cycle of addiction in the impoverished population. Other social factors also play a role in the situation, and these are also influenced by class; lower class addicts are viewed as criminals or ethically wrong while upper class addicts are viewed more sympathetically. The prevalence of addiction is highly skewed among lower SES groups in India. Geographical inequalities exacerbate the situation as drug-trafficking peddlers focus on woeful neighbourhoods. Besides, the justice system portrays themselves as tougher on low-income families and the elite easily escape judgments through legal allocations. Thus, issues surrounding addiction must be acknowledged concerning class-based disparities. Equally crucial measures encompass improving access to treatment along with social and economic inequalities in different statuses which are harmful stereotypes and hence make equal access to recovery possible through equally ameliorated policies and systems supporting the same.

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