The Cost of Addiction: A Comparative Study of Meaning in Life, Stress, and Quality of Life

Drug abuse is a growing public health and social problem that involves the excessive use of psychoactive substances. Over time, drug abuse has shifted from a legal issue to complex biopsychosocial problem which highlights the need for identifying psychological factors related to drug addiction. Objective: This study aims to examine and compare the Quality of life, meaning in life, and stress among drug addicted and non-addicted individuals. Method: The study adopted a quantitative research design, collecting self-reported data from 40 drug addicted individuals and 40 non-addicted individuals. The sample was collected from Agroha Medical College and Maharaja Agarsen Civil Hospital, Hisar. Data was statistically analyzed using descriptive indexes and t test on SPSS-26 using PROCESS macro software. Results: The results showed significant difference in mean scores of Quality of life (t = –2.142, p=.035) and meaning in life (t = -4.039, p < .001), whereas no significant difference was found in the mean scores of stress (t = –1.658, p = .102) between drug addicted individuals and non-addicted individuals.  Conclusion: The findings indicate that there exists a significant difference in Quality of life and meaning in life, whereas no significant difference exists in stress among drug addicted individuals and non-addicted individuals.