The family in Thailand and drug demand reduction: problems of urban Thai society in transition.

Thailand is undergoing ever-accelerating socio-economic transformation which exercises tremendous strains on its basic social institution, the Thai family. The family has traditionally exercised firm control over its members, thus ensuring cohesion and conformity to social norms. Progressive destabilization and disorientation of urban society resulting in a weakening of its foundations and gradual erosion of core functions has led to a deterioration of the family's role and importance. The deterioration of the role of the family is even more critical in the Thai context because, traditionally, the Thai family provided the strongest and most dependable bulwark against social evils of any kind, not the least of which has become drug abuse. The grave state of the country's drug (heroin) abuse problems has recently been further aggravated with the emergent HIV/AIDS epidemic. That epidemic has affected substantial portions of intravenous heroin drug users, posing threats for families all over the country. Evidently, affected families have not been able to protect vulnerable members from becoming drug users; worse still, families have frequently contributed to creating or compounding the problem. Measures need be taken to effectively check this detrimental trend and avert further erosion. The Thai family needs reorientation, parenting and family skills. That would help reinforce the role of the family in preventing drug abuse as well as in rehabilitating former users. To back up the Thai family, still other social groups need to be recruited which can assume some of its stabilizing functions.