Addiction to Drugs or abusive Use of Drugs.

Drug Abuse

Addiction to drugs or abusive use of drugs is a matter of concern in modern societies. This problem is acute among the young people.

Drug abuse is the excessive or addictive use of drugs for non-medical purposes. Abused substances include such agents as anabolic steroids, which are used by some athletes to accelerate muscular development and increase strength and which can cause heart disease, liver damage, and other physical problems; and psychotropic agents, changes in mood, feeling, and perception. The latter category has a much longer history of abuse. This category includes opium, marijuana, ganja, heroin, hallucinogens, barbiturates, cocaine, amphetamines, tranquilizers, hashish, and alcohol.

The history of non medical drug consumption is ancient. The discovery of the mood-altering qualities of fermented fruits and substances such as opium has led to their use and, often, acceptance into society. Just as alcohol has a recognized social place in the West, so many other psychotropics have been accepted in different societies.

Drugs that either depress or stimulate the central nervous system have long been used for nonmedical reasons. Depressants include all sedatives and hypnotics such as barbiturates and benzodiazepines. These are usually taken by mouth but can be injected. The main stimulants are amphetamines or their derivatives and cocaine, a natural component of the leaves of the coca plat. Amphetamines can be taken by mouth or injected; cocaine is either injected or inhaled through the nose one form of cocaine is generally smoked. Other drugs that are frequently abused include cannabis, PCP, and such hallucinogens or psychedelics, as LSD and mescaline.

Drug addiction causes serious damages to different limbs of the body. Some of them are given below:

a.       Nerve System: Causes mental illness and reduces memory.

b.      Eye: Diminishes eyesight gradually.

c.       Blood Circulation: Causes anemia and reduces resistance to diseases.

d.      Heart: Reduces effectiveness of heart and enlarges the heart.

e.      Liver: Jaundice, Hepatitis, Liver Sirrocis, cancer.

f.        Digestive System: Reduce digestive power, causes ulcer, acidity and constipation.

g.       Kidney: Gradually damages the kidneys completely.

h.      Genital Organs: Reduces sexual power, gives birth to weak disabled children.

i.         Skin: Makes the skin rough, causes scabies, itching, boil and infection.

Drug abuse leads a man to dire consequences. It has many physical side effects.

1.       A man who takes drug for intoxication cannot lead a normal life. He loses control over himself and the intake of drugs. As a result he loses his dependability and cannot get engaged in any responsible job.

2.       Drugs like ganja, marihuana, and heroin are very costly. A person who gets addicted to such drugs often becomes disqualified to get any income generating activities. As he cannot earn his livelihood or the cost of his drugs he gets involved in theft, mugging, snatching robbing or other criminal activities.

3.       The effects of drug abuse on the family and society is not insignificant. An addicted person is a burden to the family and society. He causes endless trouble and suffering for the members of his family. He is considered a bad element in the society and puts an evil impact on the society by committing criminal activities and destroying the peaceful environment of the society. He becomes like a devil incarnated in a human body as an intoxicated man gradually loses his good senses, conscience and control over the beast in him.

4.       Drug addiction leads a man to ultimate death. Continuous intake of intoxicating drugs makes a slave to drugs out of a man. It causes terrible harm to a man’s body. His body parts like kidneys, hearts, stomach etc. start shutting down gradually.

5.       Drug addiction is also harmful to the economy and the nation. Drug addiction makes people inactive and incapable of responsible work. This is a big wastage of national resources. The deterioration of law and order situation also casts a pall on the economic development of the region and the country.

One of the main reasons for drug abuse among youths is mental pressure and turbulence put on the youths of the broken families. When the parents get divorced or separated children cannot accept such things. They feel certain anger towards everything and begin to pity themselves. In most of the cases they are neglected or cannot adjust with the new condition. As a result they get frustrated very easily and fall a victim to drug addiction. Some youths also become addicted to narcotics due to bad company and very often such addiction start from just a little dose out of curiosity which leads to complete submission to addiction.

Certain habits of both or any  of the parents such as excessive smoking of cigarettes and taking alcohol can also make youths attracted to taking drugs. Because when children see their parents smoking cigarettes one after another or taking liquor regularly, such habits and action seem natural to them and they can easily become addicted to more harmful drugs.

Another reason for drug addiction, as cited by many people, is lack of healthy social life. This is also mostly a consequence of small, self-centered families of modern time. In the course of industrialization and urbanization, traditional joint families began to break up. Families consisting of only father, mother and children began to relocate themselves in urban and industrial areas in search of jobs. In such families children usually suffer from loneliness as they do not find close relatives like grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins nearby. Things like TV, movies, video games computer games, CD player and indoors games become the main sources of entertainment instead of outdoor games, conversation and interactions in family atmosphere. Such children get frustrated easily and become vulnerable to drug addiction. The media also play a role in spreading drug addiction. When children find TV and movie stars take drug or smoke cigarettes in moves or TV programmers, they also become attracted to such drugs and get addicted.

As far as I am concerned, certain things can be done to save the youths from harmful drug abuse. First of all interaction with the youths and supervision over them from the families will have to be ensured. Parents have to grow friendly relationship with their children and make sure that they do not get frustrated. Parents should also check into the friends of their children so that their children do not maintain bad company. It has also become necessary to guide the youths in watching TV and movies. The government may help the situation by strictly imposing censorship on injurious materials in movies and TV programmers.

Drug addiction causes irreparable loss to one’s personal life as well as the social life. So, everybody should remain alert to avoid drug addiction. Moreover, social awareness should be created against drug abuse and addiction.

Reasons of smoking and how to prevent it

Smoking is one of the most injurious habits. Nowadays smoking is common all over the world. This habit has been found to spread among people of all ages over the decades.

Smoking can cause serious health hazards. Tobacco has injurious substances including nicotine. When somebody smokes, nicotine enters into his lungs and gets mixed with his blood. Then it spreads throughout the whole body through blood circulation. Smoking of cigarettes can cause serious harm to ones lungs and larynx. It is the main cause of lung cancer. It also causes diseases like asthma, bronchitis, gastric, ulcer, and heart disease. Smoking can harm not only the person smoking cigarettes, but also people around him. Smoke released by a smoker is inhaled by people in close proximity. It is called passive smoking. Passive smoking is no less harmful than active smoking and all the dangers of smoke are also associated with passive smoking.

There are some intoxicating materials like nicotine in tobacco. They cause addiction. People get attracted to tobacco smoking indifferent ways. First of all, advertisements by tobacco companies attract people to tobacco smoking. Secondly, smoking by actors and actresses in movies, dramas and TV programmes also attracts people to smoking. They consider smoking as a matter of smartness. Thirdly, youths and youngsters smoke being influenced by evil company. Usually it starts out of curiosity and then becomes a lasting habit. Lastly, children are also influenced by their smoker parents. They form acceptance to smoking in their mind and do not consider it as something harmful.

Smoking has been accepted as a harmful habit by governments worldwide. Many preventive measures have been undertaken in this respect by the countries all over the world. Such measures include:

1.       Banning cigarette smoking in public spaces like bus stations, railway stations, subway stations, market places, museums, zoos auditoriums etc. and on public transports such as buses, trains, launches, steamers, ships etc.

2.       Restricting buying and selling of cigarettes publicly. Also banning sale of cigarettes to minors.

3.       In Bangladesh the government has enacted laws banning advertisement of cigarettes, buying and selling cigarettes publicly and smoking cigarettes in public places. The government has also imposed fines and penalties for the violation of these laws.

4.       The government has also passed laws requiring cigarette companies to print warning signs on the packets of cigarettes.

What else needed are a greater degree of awareness among people and a strong will to stop smoking? Besides, censorship should be imposed on TV programmes, dramas and movies having scenes of smoking.

There is no doubt that the habit of smoking can cause great harm to a person. It is harmful not only to him but also for his family and people around him. So, everybody should try seriously to avoid smoking.