DRUG ABUSE IN CHILD

DRUG ABUSE (SUBSTANCE ABUSE) IN CHILD

Drug habit is no longer a “rarity” among the adolescents of developing countries. All India surveys indicate as high an incidence as 3% of “addiction” and 15% of “casual indulgence” among senior school-going students. The prevalence is particularly high in boarding public schools.

The drug generally abused are alcohol, tobacco sleeping pills, tranquillizers, central stimulants, mood elevators, cannabis (bhang,charas, ganja) and opiates. LSD, cocaine and heroin are used by a much smaller proportion of abusers. The majority use more than one drug.

Most of the addict shows significant evidence of conflict, confusion, mental tension and remarkable deterioration in academic performance. Shoplifting, stealing and, at times, even trafficking are resorted to by the “diehard” addicts to make enough money for procuring their supply of drugs.

Why drugs? The causes include frustration at home, a poor performance at school, bad company and emotionless stress. “Keenness to burn midnight oil” at the time of examination and to “gear up stamina” for better performance in sports and athletics are said to be the stimulus to take drugs with some. Others indulge in the word of drugs “just for kicks”, “just for the heck of it”, “simply to see what will happen” or as an “adventure”. Yet another group consumes drugs to “hit back” at the parents, teachers or society in protest indeed.

To check the malady, the recommended measures include:

1. Provision of adequate facilities for recreation and entertainment, especially in the hostels.
2. Proper channelization of energies of the adolescents into constructive activities.
3. Inculcation of the dangers of drug abuse among students, their teachers and family members.
4. Provision of periodical psychiatric guidance facilities in schools.
5. Strict implementation of drug control measures