Men’s Drug Addiction as a Threat to Women’s Sense of Security: A Qualitative Approach

Drug addiction is an important social problem which has many damaging effects on people’s lives. This study investigates men’s addiction as a threat to women’s sense of security. A qualitative approach was used to identify and explore its influences, and the grounded theory was applied with the aim of exploring and understanding this problem in order to develop a theory based on the gathered data. Research samples consisted of two groups: women who had visited rehabilitation centers to find treatment for a family member suffering from addiction, and women who had had no problems with addiction in their family. The results showed that men who suffer from drug addictions destructively influence women’s sense of security both privately and publicly. Women in their private environment experience general physical, economic, mental, moral, and social insecurity. In the broader picture of society, women experience physical, moral, economic, and social insecurity. Addiction threatens women’s security on both real and subjective levels, directly and indirectly. Ultimately, men’s addiction is a form of violence against women.