A drug is a substance, that when inhaled, injected, smoked, consumed or absorbed causes a physiological change”. These substances when in our body, have a profound impact on the neurochemical balance in the brain which directly affects how you feel and act.
As for me, DRUGS mean
D - Destruction
R - Ruin
U - Useless Feeling
G - Going nowhere but downhill
S - Severe Physical and psychological effects
That is what DRUGS spell out eventually – a total lack of self- esteem … a life devoid of reasoning, morality and shame. Environmental factors which include the changes in the family (e.g. divorce, deaths, additions, etc.) has been cited as the first and foremost cause of youth being attracted to the false comfort of drug dependency.
Students undergo a great amount of agony and pressure to obtain and maintain excellent grades. The parents as well as the teachers exert a lot of pressure upon the children. The highly competitive levels set by parents, professional and academic institutes have resulted in increased stress in young people. Innate ability and aptitude are not taken into consideration by parents who want their children to get better grades than the children of their friends or relatives. This competition does not end there, but is extended to sport, curricular, extracurricular and co-curricular activities. The result, the feeble-minded, and the easily stressed seek refuge in the narcotic drugs and their hallucinatory powers. Only to lead themselves to the dark and the dingy paths of self-destruction.
Parental ignorance and the blind belief in the goodness and integrity of one’s child – has caused many a young person to dive deeper into drug dependency. Children need good, powerful, role models – and parents can work to being a role model that their children can emulate, can look up to and say “I love my parents – I love my home – I love my life - so I can say No to drugs.
Another major factor that is cited as a cause of drug dependency is lack of knowledge. Drugs have been portrayed as a gateway to fantasy land – a land of ecstasy where no troubles exist. But drug users are ignorant about the physical effects of drug abuse till they learn it the hard way and when it’s too late.
Educating children about the physical and traumatic effects of drug abuse – even resulting in death – can guarantee that children will say No to drugs. Just as the commercial displays of the physical effects of oral and lung cancer in smokers – youth should be shown true life images of drug addicts and the physical and psychological trauma they go through battling with withdrawal symptoms.
In conclusion, although the problem of drugs may seem impossible to eliminate, concrete steps must be taken to weaken the hold of drugs on the society. Parents should make time for their children and give them all the love and attention that is required. Communication gaps should be bridged and the children should be comfortable to discuss anything and everything with their parents. Parents and teachers should liaison with each other to fully understand the issues and challenges faced by the children. I believe that if conscious efforts are made to ensure close understanding between the children and their elders fewer and fewer people will resort to drugs for solace and the world will be a much better place.
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