Hello Mes Amis,
I have been so busy since the beginning of this week. I am trying to finish up with my report. It's not really easy like that but thankfully I have friends both here and physically who have given me motivation and strength to keep writing.
The issue of drug abuse is becoming rampant among the youths. In fact it's starting to become a normal thing and if care is not taken, we might find ourselves in a drug situation so dangerous that we might have to start banning all drugs just to curb it menance. Before I dive into the discussion, let's have a look at the definition of this term;
What is drug abuse?
According to Google dictionary:
Excessive use of psychoactive drugs, such as alcohol, pain medications or illegal drugs. It can lead to physical, social or emotional harm.
According to Wikipedia:
Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods which are harmful to the individual or others.
Where the first definition is correct to some extent, it is however limited to certain persons. Not all drugs are phycoactive in function, some are even passive in their function. But the second definition by Wikipedia gave a concise yet encompassing definition of what drug abuse really is. When you take a certain drug in a wrong amount or manner, no matter how common them maybe, you have abuse that drug. Funny thing is we even make little children abuse drug. I was speaking with a woman sometimes ago, we were discussing the issue of drug abuse and I told her that the actual truth of the matter is that we leave the seemly little ones and focus on the supposed dangerous ones. I told her that she had made her children commit drug abuse even without knowing. She denied it Frankly and vehemently stating point blank that she would never part take in abusing a drug.
I decided to break her ego and show her the real image of things I asked her how old her elder son was and she replied ten. I then asked if she had given him drug for headache before. She said yes and mentioned that she gave him paracetamol tablet. I asked how many tablets she gave him and she replied "the right dose, which is two". I just shook my head and asked her if she knew the proscription written on the package or from a medical doctor. She said no. It was then I told her that she has caused that boy to abuse the drug in that she was supposed to give him a tablet or even lesser. She was shocked and went to read the prescription written on the package and shouted that she was unaware and ignorant of that. And that's just one of the major reason for drug abuse.
Most people's abuse of drugs started from outright ignorance. We don't need to let abuse of substances get to the highest form before we start curbing it. We need to start from the very smallest appearance by following the instructions written by the manufacturer and the prescription written by a qualified doctor. If you are sick and you don't know what's drug to take or what quantity of dose to take, the best thing to do is to see a doctor or pharmacist to help you out not rack your brain on which drug to take or what quantity to take. Taken a drug without a prescription or information is drug abuse even if done with discretion.
Another major cause if drug abuse is peer pressure. Most youths get into drug abuse and taking of illegal drugs becksse their friends are doing it and they feel kind of left out. Some boys in my area who I used to know as very good boys just suddenly turned drug addicts and abusers because most of their friends from school are into it and they were feeling inferior and old school. I guess their friends must have said they are not exposed or living right or being a dummy or such things. But now they are doing it and they feel like they are doing the right thing and loving 'large'. The major disheartening thing about the whole issue is that some of them don't like it. In fact they feel bad after doing such, they know it's wrong and it's already affecting them but just won't stop it before of the backlashes they would probably get from their friends. Notice I used the word 'won't' not 'can't', this is because they can stop it because they have the ability (taking the meaning of the verb into consideration) but they won't stop it because of the aforementioned reasons. Although youths are very prone to submitting to peer pressure, but I believe if you don't want to do something (especially when it is bad), there is no reason to do even when others are doing or are cajoling you to. We all bear the responsibility for the actions we take, no one else will take it for us.
Some other reasons I think youths go into drug abuse are; the feeling of doing it because they have the money, irresponsibility on part of their parents, irresponsibility on part of the government, irresponsibility on part of the society, irresponsibility on part of the religious body especially the church and surely the attitude of youths towards drug abuse.
It's time we do all we can to stop this menance from spreading and destroying our youths. There are so many youth suffering from the effects of taking illegal drugs and much more are being rendered. In Nigeria, the cases of youths running mad or becoming something else due to taking of illegal drugs and abuse of drugs is on the increase. We all have our responsibilities to do, no contribution is too small or big in this fight against drug abuse. Youth arise. Let's all say no to drug abuse!
I have actually started writing this post since morning but couldn't find time to finish it till now. Thanks for reading guys. Let's take action.
