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| DRUGS: A vicious evil…. | | | Ankita Bhalla | 6/29/2012 10:39:36 PM |
| In the recent past from the IPL parties to the Page
3 circle, from the disguised Rave parties and to the hooded participation of the majority strata's of the Social circuit, all have come under a severe scrutiny where the constant factor of the drug use was a National highlight.. Though I wonder what is the charm of indulging oneself in the ecstasy of drugs?? What's so enigmatic about these lethal substances which not only attract the teens, common people who cannot even afford them to the high profile socialites, celebrities from all the spheres of the myriad other industries and countless sectors....??
So, what is drug addiction? In medical terms, it's a condition characterized by an overwhelming desire to continue taking a drug to which one has become habituated through repeated consumption because it produces a particular effect, usually an alteration of mental status. This Addiction though is usually accompanied by a compulsion to obtain the drug, a tendency to increase the dose, a psychological or physical dependence, and detrimental consequences for the individual and society.
But apart from the technical capacity of the term, in reality this condition is far more complex and twisted in consequences which follows after once it begins, in a long chain of traumatic and life altering experiences.
Usually the question which surfaces each time when this discussion springs out of the box is what is the reason behind this? Why do people fall in the deadly trap despite knowing that it's a slow death within itself! Is it the wild streak in the man which prompts him to indulge in drugs or the temptation to do the forbidden?
The causes of drug addiction are many, but some are actually easy to pick out long before substance abuse even begins. Why are some people able to resist drugs even when those around them abuse, while others seek out drugs even if they are not readily available? In a twisted tale of reasons that came across while dwelling deeper in it were many, some predictable in nature and yet some undermined ones too as,
1] Exposure from peers
If you are exposed to drugs in the teenage years, you are more likely to use and abuse drugs than those who are not exposed.
2] Use by Parents
If parents use drugs, their children are more likely to use drugs, even if the parents say not to. Children of even strict parents who threaten severe consequences are more likely to use if their parents use than the children of parents who do not use.
3] Availability
If drugs are easily available, addiction is much more likely than if drugs are difficult to come by.
4] Genetics
Certain genetic predispositions appear to weaken a person's ability to resist substance abuse. This can sometimes be seen in what is sometimes termed as an "addictive personality". People who struggle with one addiction often struggle with
Multiple addictions. They are also more susceptible to taking on a new addiction if they overcome one addiction.
5] Poor Family Environment
Teens from broken homes or with poor parent-child bonds are more likely to use and abuse substances.
6] Psychological Problems
People with psychological problems are more susceptible to drug addiction than mentally healthy individuals.
7] Personality
Children who are aggressive or shy-aggressive are most likely to use and abuse substances when they get older.
Though the reasons slated, this problem predominantly is firstly found in the teenagers all around the globe. Being a teenager is often a confusing, challenging time, which can make teens vulnerable to falling into a destructive pattern of drug use. While most teens probably see their drug use as a casual way to have fun, there are negative effects that are a result of this use of alcohol or other drugs. It's often difficult for the teens to relapse into the drug abuse even when trying to quit it. Shockingly, as per facts to be believed ,teens who use drugs are more likely to have unprotected sex which in turns often put them at risk of pregnancy, rape and even sexual transmitted diseases. Along with the emotional problems of mood swings, anxiety, hallucinations, these illnesses can result into death by suicide or homicide. It may lead to impotence in young boys, clitoral enlargement in girls and stunted growth. Depending on how body takes in and processes each kind of drug, any of the above problems can result in even Death!!
Clear communication by parents about the negative physical, emotional, and functional effects of drugs, as well as about their expectations regarding drug use have been found to significantly decrease substance abuse in teens .Adequate parental supervision has also been found to be a deterrent to drug use in youth. Specifically, parents knowing how, where, and with whom adolescents socialize, as well as limiting their children's access to substances that can be abused have been associated with less teenage drug use. Limiting the amount of alcohol, cleaning solutions (inhalants) and over-the counter medications that are kept in the home to amounts that can be closely monitored and accounted for has also been found to decrease substance abuse by teens.
This problem though is not confined to within teens only. It's like a widespread fire, claiming the lives of people belonging from every sphere. If the fire would not be controlled in time the after effects are tend to be life staking. Many individuals are not even aware about the facts how widely these drugs range. There are many drugs being abused in our society today. Illegal drugs come in different shape, sizes and types. Each particular drug produces unique effects on the user; this is why you may have heard the term "drug of choice". This means, the drug that the user prefers.
Marijuana : By far the most widely used illegal drug, it is derived from the cannabis plant, which grows in many countries. People put it in rolling papers to make marijuana cigarettes, smoke it in bongs or pipes, or mix it in baked goods or tea and eat or drink it. Synthetic THC capsules are available by prescription to treat the nausea that cancer patients sometimes suffer with some forms of chemotherapy, and to treat wasting in AIDS patients.
Cocaine and crack cocaine : It comes from the leaves of the coca plant which grows primarily in South America. Cocaine is processed into a white powder which people snort or melt and inject. Crack is further processed into a substance that can be smoked. Cocaine has limited use in medicine as an anaesthetic.
Ecstasy (MDMA) is a synthetic drug with both hallucinogenic and amphetamine-like properties. It is chemically similar to two other synthetic drugs, MDA and methamphetamine, which damage the brain. Ecstasy is mainly taken in pill form but users have been known to crush and snort or inject the drug. Opium contains Morphine and Codeine. From morphine it is a short step to the production of heroin, a powder over twice as potent as morphine. Opium can be eaten, smoked and drunk. Morphine can be injected or taken orally. Heroin can be smoked in tobacco, heated on aluminium foil and inhaled, injected under the skin or into the muscle/ vein. Meth is a powerfully addictive stimulant that dramatically affects the central nervous system. The drug is made easily in clandestine laboratories with relatively inexpensive over-the-counter ingredients. These factors combine to make meth a drug with high potential for widespread abuse.
An interesting question arises from the above facts as well is that; where does India stand in all this fanfare? It's ignorant to many that the facts put forward an extremely sorry state of affairs picture. India has played an unhappy part in the drug trade for decades. India's own contribution to the drug world is mainly in the form of opium and related products. India grows both licit and illicit crops of opium. The legal variety is cultivated under supervision in several parts of Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir. The produce, in the form of opium gum, is meant for medical use. The North-Eastern states, especially Arunachal Pradesh, produce opium illegally. Some illegal opium is also grown in other states, including, in one instance, Karnataka. The opium thus produced is either diverted from licit use or illegal crops are sold to agents who pay up to ten times the government rates per kilogram. Most of this is smuggled via Nepal, Myanmar and, more recently, through Tuticorin to Sri Lanka, where it's processed into Hashish (cannabis resin), Ganja (herbal cannabis) or Heroin. Some of it gets refined in India, close to the production area. In terms of the total quantities worldwide, this amounts to very little. India also produces ATS - ecstasy,Methaqualone through small pharmaceutical factories.
This all simultaneously has given to the vicious evil of Drug Trafficking. India is located between two major illicit opium producing centres in Asia - the Golden Crescent comprising Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran and the Golden Triangle comprising Burma, Thailand and Laos. Because of such geographical location, India experiences large amount of drug trafficking through the borders. India is a transhipment point for heroin from Southwest Asian countries like Afghanistan and Pakistan and from Southeast Asian countries as Burma, Thailand etc. Drug trafficking is now resulting in growth of organized crime which is affecting social security. Organised crime is connecting drug trafficking with corruption and money laundering and is also aggravate the political instability in many regions.
While compiling the material some interesting facts sprang upon the surface, In India there are 84,000 Drug formulations. But According to WHO only 450 Drug formulations are enough .Also Doctors have been preferring Antibiotics for any kind of disease in India because they are taking huge amount of commission from Pharma Companies for this. Some examples of illegal drugs- Acromycin (now in India with different several countries including Ireland, Germany, UAE) , CpHAC, Cyscanorm , Asprid, Canopride ,Moticane ,Nimocylite(Ban in 50 countries including Sweden, Portugal), Analgin , a drug, for headace, according to experts is a obsolete drug, but this drug makes Rs-37 crore business yearly in India. These banned illegal drugs sales and then its consumption leads to death of several thousand people yearly.
Illegal Internet pharmacies are increasingly targeting young people through social media to sell prescription drugs, containing psychotropic substances. According to its annual report, the International Narcotics Control Board said the consumption of narcotics has gone up in cities such as Mumbai, Bangalore, Mangalore and Hyderabad. The report also said the low cost, high profit margin and easy availability of over-the-counter drugs are the main reasons for the increasing abuse and trafficking. Added to this is the misperception that they are less harmful than illicitly-manufactured drugs.
The conclusion which draws up in the end is the term Drug within itself has manifested into several other streams right from its Addiction to its Illegal Trafficking and later maybe into even life wrenching results. It's far more complicated set of complexities which not only lead to rehabilitation centres but also in tremendous cases leads one to either loose his life, suffer from irrecoverable illnesses and in case of trafficking, behind the bars. The only solution to the issue addressed is to set upon a wider outlook to the term itself and the evils stemming from the same rather than trying to curb only a singular aspect of it. It's not about what to do and how to do, rather it's only about TO DO, take measures and actions to nip the evil in the bud itself! |
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