Campaign Against Drug Abuse
What is Drug Abuse?
The unlawful, non-medical use of a restricted number of chemicals, most of which have the properties of altering a person's mental state in ways that are regarded improper, unwanted, harmful, and hazardous to the user's life and the lives of others, is known as drug abuse. Some of the drugs are alcohol, heroin, cocaine, opium, and marijuana. Adolescents appear to be the primary focus of this drug threat and abuse. The immediate causes of drug abuse among youth are curiosity, peer pressure, and the availability of drugs such as cigarettes and alcohol. Friends are pressured to use drugs when they are in the company of bad friends, especially in senior high schools. There is a “naked” advertisement of alcohol, cigarettes, and other non-medicated narcotics on our television and radio stations.
How Drug Abuse is a Social Evil and How it Affects Families
In India, drug addiction is a social blight. The tragedy of our day is that millions of young people, India's future citizens, fall prey to the drug habit. These addicts are on their way to a slow and painful death. It is a social blight that affects both individuals and the entire nation. Addicts to drugs lose their mental agility, sense of friendliness, warmth, and social awareness. They eventually develop schizophrenia symptoms. Persecution mania, or a fixation with being tortured, may also affect them. They also acquire a proclivity for suicide. Hostel-dwelling youngsters are particularly vulnerable to drug addiction. The most alarming aspect of drug abuse is that people from all over the world are becoming addicted to various types of drugs. Cocaine, meth, marijuana, crack, heroin, and other illicit drugs are only a few examples.
Heroin is one of the most deadly substances since it slows down the heart's activity and is used to generate a narcotic effect. Drugs abuse can have both short and long-term consequences. Drugs abuse may strain even the most peaceful and loving families. When family members argue over a son or daughter who consumes heroin, for example, conflict becomes typical. As time goes on, trust begins to dissolve. If a relative taking illicit substances act aggressively or hide their disorder in secrecy, relatives may become warier. Addiction can induce changes in marriages, which can lead to divorce. Communication becomes more difficult, bringing frustration to the surface.
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Ways to Prevent Drug Abuse
While it's difficult to prevent everyone from using illegal substances, there are things we can all do to reduce drug abuse which is as follows:
Deal with peer pressure effectively -
Teens are more likely to experiment with illegal drugs as a result of peer pressure. Nobody loves to be left out, so teenagers and adults also will do things they wouldn't typically do just to fit in. In these situations, you'll either need to find a new set of friends that won't pressure you into doing bad things, or you'll need to figure out a smart method to say no.
Deal with Life Pressure effectively-
People today are overworked and overburdened, and they frequently believe that well-deserved vacation or reward is due. Drugs, on the other hand, make life more stressful in the long run, and many people fail to perceive this in the moment. Find alternate ways to deal with stress and unwind instead of taking drugs as a reward. Get some exercise, read a good book, volunteer with the less fortunate, or make something.
Take doctor's treatment if suffering from mental illness -
Mental illness and drug abuse frequently coexist. Those suffering from a mental condition may turn to medications to alleviate their suffering. Those suffering from mental illnesses such as anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder should seek therapy from a skilled expert before turning to drugs.
Have a well-balanced life -
When something in many people's lives isn't working, or they're unhappy with their lives many turn to narcotics. Look at the big picture of life and make sure your priorities are in order.
A Short Message From Us
How the Youth can help in the campaign against Drug Abuse
Youth can organize programs in their colleges and school to create awareness about drug abuse they can go through areas where they think teens and adults are prone to drug abuse and they can teach them about the harmful effects of drugs and how they can have a bad effect on their lives and on their families. Youth should target teens that are very prone to drugs abuse because in peer pressure they take drugs. Youth can volunteer with local groups which is an excellent method to promote awareness about drugs abuse, as well as about prevention and treatment.
Youth organizations in the community, who serve as essential role models, maybe enlisted through awareness campaigns and then used to propagate the message against drugs abuse. Youth can organize rural camps which can be held in collaboration with appropriate treatment centers and a community-based host organization. Youth can observe all significant days, such as the International Day against Illicit Drugs and Trafficking, Anti-Tobacco Day, Gandhi Jayanti, and various other important days which contribute to raising awareness about the problem of drugs abuse.