It was Sunday morning when a drug vendor in my vicinity found the shutter of his drug shop broken. At first he thought, it was a theft and someone has looted his shop but later he found the drugs safe on shelves except few syringes and empty syrup bottles scattered on the floor. Looking at this he remained silent, but began to make investigation at his own level, confidentially, in order to identify the person. After few days he got to know the involvement of one local youth who was strongly addicted to drugs, who broke into the shop during that night and quenched his intolerable thirst by entering some injection in to his body, taking some diazepam tablets and drinking some syrup bottles having an alcoholic and other intoxicant combination. Being a local and from a respectable family, the owner of drug shop was sympathetic, and did not took any action against him.
This makes one understand that how chronic drug addiction affects one’s daily life and how one can go to an extreme level.
The drug addiction starts in a person when he voluntarily consumes such substances either on experimental basis, or fro any other reasons like health disorder, family or genetic predisposition. The vagrant type of friends and some relatives play a key role in making the drug addiction flourish by sharing and prescribing medicine to others after receiving these prescribed medications from medical practitioner. The normal person after consuming these medicines gradually becomes accustomed to it and this continues on regular basis making an individual a drug addict. And one day he loses his self control of his life and is controlled by these drugs and finally surrenders all life before these intoxicant drugs.
People often think drugs are used by people to escape psychological and physical pain. Initially, after consuming drugs, a user thinks that drugs are solution to their problems and it make something easy in life. But actually it is not so. The consequences of drug addiction are terrible and after one becomes addicted, the good thoughts die and the drug addict feels intense urge for drugs regularly. First small doses, gradually larger doses, and all this needs money. Initially the drug addict manges from home either by demanding, saving or by stealing; sometime sells precious house items to get money.
The drug addict isolates from social or recreational activities and no one takes any obligation or responsibility for such persons; even one’s own family stops trusting such persons. Very often drug addicts are seen lying unconscious on streets, roads, parks.
In order to get rid of this, the user has to realize that these drugs do nothing but consume one’s health. To stay drug free, counseling is important, for which the good company of someone, aware of the dangers of drug use is necessary. This can be provided best by family members or best friends. The family should have to keep close eye if they found any of their members involved in such a dangerous practice. The family must keep track if the member is not in the company of bad people. Secondly to educate the user about the life threatening impacts of drugs on life is important.
In this connection the UNODC (The United Nations Office on Drug and Crime) has been helping make the world safe from drugs and has committed to achieving health, security and justice for all by tackling these threats of drug addiction and promoting peace and drug free society. The world drug report 2021 provides a global overview of supply and demand of opiates, cocaine, cannabis, amphetamine type stimulant and new psychoactive substances (NPS) as well as their impact on health. It highlights through improved research and more precious data, that the adverse health consequences of drug use are more widespread than previously thought.
The international day, 26 June, against the Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is an occasion to educate the people globally and to determine and strengthen action and cooperation to achieve the goal of an International society free of drug abuse. The occasion is supported each year by individuals, communities and various organizations all over the world. This global observance aims to raise awareness on the major problem that illicit drugs pose to a society.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts, analysis, assumptions and perspective appearing in the article do not reflect the views of GK.