HEALTH SOLUTIONS

DRUG ABUSE: HARMFUL EFFECTS, AND PREVENTIVE MEASURES AMONG ADOLESCENTS

Meaning of Drug/Substance Abuse

The use of drugs for puposes other than those for which they are meant to be used.
It can also mean the use of prescription or over-the-counter drugs in large amount than required clinically
(Drug abuse is said to happen when someone takes a drug over and over again, in ways that hurt their health. Such a person is taking the drug to feel good and not for any health benefits.)

Examples of Drugs of abuse are numerous but the most common ones include:
Tramadol
Rohypnol
Caffeine
Codeine-Containing Cough Syrups
Cocaine
Heroine
Marijuana
Cannabis(Indian Hemp)
Tobacco cigarette
Alcoholic Beverages etc.

HARMFUL EFFECT OF DRUGS

Emotional Effect

All these drugs affected the limbic system (emotional seat) of the brain. The drugs cause the release of dopamine (a brain chemical that helps regulate emotions and feeling of pleasure) to flood the brain. This flood is what causes someone to become "high" and it's the main cause of drugs addiction.
Other effects of drug abuse on behavior include: Aggressiveness
Hallucination (something such as an image, a sound, or a smell that seems real but does not really exist)
Impaired Judgement
Low Self Esteem
Lack Of Self Control
the list is endless

Effect on health

Overuse of alcohol, caffeine and other drugs  can cause brain damage, nutritional deficiencies, seizure, kidney and liver diseases.
when the brain is damaged, students may find it difficult to perform cognitive tasks including preparation for tests and exams. Ultimately, they lose focus on education and become nuisances to the society.

SOCIAL EFFECT

 Drug Abuse Causes Withdrawal From Social Activities
When you’re high or getting high, you won’t be able to do things with your friends like gaming, sports, going to the movies, or just hanging out. Instead of spending time with you, your friends will choose to be with people who like to do those things.
When addiction sets in, you may even start lying and stealing to pay for your drug use. No one wants to be around someone like that!

Drugs Can Also Cause Users To Become Paranoid About Their Relationships
 like thinking that their friends want to harm them or turning against them. Drug users may even become aggressive and violent toward other people, even their family and friends. For these reasons, drugs can destroy relationship/friendships especially among school pupils.

PREVENTATIVE MEASURES

1. Avoid Peer Pressure
The most common reasons adolescents start using drugs is because their friends/ classmates pressurize them to do so. In this case, teens need to either say no to peer pressure or better find a right group of friends that won't mount pressure on them to indulge in drugs.

2. Effectively Deal with Life/School Pressure
Some students who are overwhelmed with academic work often feel like taking drugs to relax. But in the end, drugs only make life more stressful. To prevent this, students should find other ways to relieve stress by engaging in activities including exercise, reading novels, thinking creatively writing on different topics.

3. Students who are mentally ill should seek for help on treatment options from healthcare professionally in their locality instead of indulging in drugs and self medication.
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