Clinic in Afghanistan Treats record numbers of Female Addicts
Afghanistan is the source of more than 90 % of the world's opium, which is used to make heroin, and more of it is being grown than ever before.
While it is not uncommon to see male drug addicts under bridges and even shooting up along the banks of the dried up Kabul riverbed in broad daylight.
Women in the ultra-conservative culture are expected to stay out of public view for the most part so taking drugs goes on behind closed doors in their homes.
One woman explained how she and the rest of the family became addicted
"My husband was addicted to drugs in Iran. When he returned to Afghanistan he was smoking inside the room in front of us, and my children and I became addicted. We had to use drugs otherwise our bodies felt painful."
At the Nejat Drugs centre Mohamed Raofi said the centre is very under resourced.
"We are trying to reduce the use of drugs, but we don't have enough facilities, and as we noticed, the number of drug users are increasing day by day
It is believed there are 60,000 women in Afghanistan regularly taking illegal drugs, including hash and marijuana. This drug use increases the spread of HIV and AIDS, which is becoming a more serious issue, and could reach the general population if not tackled properly.