The purposes of this study were to investigate the demographic characteristics,
substances use, and crime for a sample of heroin abusers in Taiwan; the relationships among them have also been investigated. Major findings are as the followings:
1. Most of subjects are ages 20 to 39, junior high and high school level, single and
divorced, unstable employment, semi-skilled and non-skilled jobs. 2. Female abusers
are involved into drugs use earlier, higher prevalence rate of poly-drug use, and shorter duration of drugs-use, spend more money to buy drugs in a week, more prevalent
in drugs dealing. 3. About 99.0 % of subjects abused cigarette, about 43% of them
do not use alcohol, and about 20% of male abusers and 50% of female abusers never
use binuts. About 71.2% male abusers and 89.4% also co-abuse with amphetamine,
female abusers have higher prevalence rate of co-abuse with cannabin, MDMA,
FM2, ketamine. 4. About 70% of female abusers and 50% of male abusers have been
detoxified in their home, 40% of them have detoxified and abstinence treatment in
outpatient services and receive hospital treatment, there are 27% of male abusers
and 18% of female abusers never receive treatment for abstinence. 5. Fake document
crime and theft, 45.7% of male abusers and 15.3% of female abusers also committed
into the violent offences the abusers the earlier be arrested, the earlier use those illicit
drugs, more involved into gambling, more abused into those drugs in The Schedule II
Illicit Drugs, the longer the duration of using drugs, they are more committed into the
non-violent offences, the above variables can explain about 7.4% of variances of Nonviolent offences. However, the abusers who are male, older, unstable employment,
the higher SES after abuse the illicit drugs, be arrested earlier, more involved into
gambling, more abused into those drugs in The Schedule II Illicit Drugs, the shorter
the duration of using drugs, they are more committed into violent offences, the above
variables can explain about 21.4% of variances of violent offences. The implications
of this study on the treatment of heroin abuse have also been discussed.