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.
