Parts are and parts are definitely not (we are after all comparing continents here). I don't believe secularism is the only consideration at play. The question(

Parts are and parts are definitely not (we are after all comparing continents here). I don't believe secularism is the only consideration at play. The question(s) I am noodling on (for myself and broadly) is: do these young men have a sense of purpose and meaning in their lives and if not, is that contributing in a meaningful way to their willingness to engage in degenerative behaviors / drug use? If we entertain this hypothesis for a moment by assuming there is a causal relationship between lack of meaning / purpose and higher propensity to engage in degenerative behavior and severe drug use, it then begs the questions: what changed? Where did people derive meaning and purpose in society before? Where are they getting it now? Where are they likely to get it in the future? Again, entertaining the hypothesis, it would follow that setting up more drug clinics is unlikely to solve the problem because people are unlikely to find meaning through the current format of drug rehabilitation. A better solution long term may be increased emphasis on psychological rehabilitation. I don't have the answer to any of these questions and certainly wouldn't say religion is the only answer. There are alternative ways to accomplish this. For example: as a society we can try to reinstill a greater sense of dignity in labor and non-managerial service roles.