A qualitative study of methamphetamine addiction drivers and implications among Afghan immigrants in host societies

Methamphetamine addiction affects Afghan migrants in Peshawar as a main social and public health matter, which worsens through displacement trauma, economic difficulties, and societal discrimination. The research investigates the principal components behind methamphetamine addiction, together with its impacts on populations and communities, and analyzes community and institutional responses to this issue. A research design incorporated qualitative deep interviews with methamphetamine consumers and stakeholders. A representative group of Afghan migrants living in Peshawar was selected using purposive sampling methods to obtain participants from the addiction population and addiction management system. Research results show that family tensions, alongside employment losses and feelings of loneliness and peer group pressure, function as the main factors behind methamphetamine use. Among its various consequences, addiction creates financial problems that simultaneously generate poor health outcomes for both physical bodies and minds, and causes relationships to deteriorate between families and socially. The study finds numerous institutional shortcomings since many people lack access to rehabilitative services because of monetary and facility limitations. Community-based and religious organizations provide limited support, but strict drug policies and social discrimination impede proper rehabilitation programs. The research shows how organizations need to adopt complete harm reduction protocols that center on healing services as they blend medical assistance with financial recovery services. The government should enhance rehabilitation centers while changing restrictive drug regulations and developing family-based recovery programs. New investigative studies need to evaluate how well migrant-specific intervention approaches perform over time.