Posted on 07/13/2026 1:05:47 AM PDT by Morgana
One in four Israelis now engages in harmful substance use as the psychological fallout from Israel’s genocide in Gaza and its expanding wars across the Middle East reshapes daily life, according to research cited by Haaretz.
The Israeli Centre for Addiction and Mental Health said substance misuse had risen sharply since October 2023, when Israel launched its war on Gaza following the Hamas-led attacks.
Before the coronavirus pandemic, the rate stood at one in 10 Israelis. It climbed to one in seven during the pandemic before reaching about 25 percent after October 2023.
The centre found that sedative use had increased by 2.5 times, while the consumption of opiates and stimulants had almost doubled. Alcohol and cannabis use had also risen.
Among people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, the rate of substance misuse now stands at 54.2 percent.
Prof Shauli Lev-Ran, the centre’s founder, told Haaretz that repeated crises had entrenched habits formed during periods of extreme pressure.
“The more stress there is, the more people use,” he said, warning that consumption often continues even after immediate stress levels fall.
Accounts from users describe ketamine, cocaine, amphetamines, cannabis and prescription sedatives becoming routine tools for enduring missile alerts, funerals, military mobilisation and constant reports of death.
One man said his drug use escalated as Israel’s wars expanded, describing substances as a way to distance himself from “all the blood and death”. Another said people had taken amphetamines during funerals after October 2023.
(Excerpt) Read more at middleeasteye.net ...
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This article is telling for a completely unrelated reason. You will see a push in the addiction industry to try to say that one in four people are addicted. I am on a charitable board that deals with this issue and I get a lot of these types of articles. I saw an article that one in four medical professionals is addicted. I then saw one that one in four lawyers is addicted. I saw one that said that one in four lower class people living in cities is addicted. I really think this is a push by the industry to expand the definition of addiction to get more funding and it now has expanded to Israel. Because if you think about it, its crazy to think that one in four people are addicted to hard drugs. That is simply not true. You’d see many more signs of it than this article.
I am not surprised.
Air raid sirens wake everybody up a couple times each week.
For the last three years!
I think David’s men had a severe drug problem, lol.
First world problem. Just become more 3rd world
"Stimulants" include prescribed ADHD medications. And cannabis. Neither are "hard drugs." B.S. article.
None whatsoever.
Ok read this from Israel news and stay on topic of drugs. Do you believe the situation has improved in several years?
“Air raid sirens wake everybody up a couple times each week”
So that war they ordered with Iran did not come as they expected.
I spent my 4th of July watching the funeral in Iran and I promise everyone there will be hell to pay for the killing of their leader and his family.
See my post 26 again stay on the topic of drugs
“ Don’t shoot the messenger.”
If the messenger is bringing a load of bull**** then I’m okay with shooting that messenger.
L
Yep 🤦🤦♂️🤦♀️
If Israel was determined to commit genocide, there would be nothing alive in Gaza.
It sounds like they may be counting prescription drugs as “hard drugs.” It’s hard to believe that many people could be going to pushers for their drugs. Israel is working on ways to cure addiction (sound waves to the brain?), so maybe there’s hope for some of the addicts.
The poor innocent Hamas, all they wanted to do is destroy Israel.
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