DRUG IS A POISON THAT KILLS YOUTH AMBITION BY – Aniket Singh

Student at Maharishi University of information technology

The drug is a substance which, affect the body’s functions physically and mentally. There are some drugs that are legal like – caffeine, alcohol and tobacco and there are some drugs that are illegal like – cocaine, heroin. Different types of drugs affect different body parts. Psychoactive drugs change a person’s thinking, behaviour and mood. The effect of a drug depends on the drug, that how it functions in different individual and what environment the drug used in. After continuous use of the drug, it becomes an addiction and it is hard to leave it.

The drug is a substance which, affect the body’s functions physically and mentally. There are some drugs that are legal like – caffeine, alcohol and tobacco and there are some drugs that are illegal like – cocaine, heroin. Different types of drugs affect different body parts. Psychoactive drugs change a person’s thinking, behaviour and mood. The effect of a drug depends on the drug, that how it functions in different individual and what environment the drug used in. After continuous use of the drug, it becomes an addiction and it is hard to leave it.

Today’s youth is greatly affected by drugs. According to the studies and surveys, a large percentage of people who consume drugs are young adults. School and college students are consuming drugs, even if they don’t know the consequences that they have to face in future. Many people become addicted to this harmful substance, it spoils his/her whole career and their ambition. Usage of such harmful substances affects their physical health as well as their mental health, which leads to various other complications. It affects their memory, leads to poor academic performance and memorizing things. It also makes them lazy, leads to tiredness, feeling sleepy all the time.

The world drug report of united nation office on drugs and crime (2016), states: “Approx 27 million youth are drugs users. The number of people classified as suffering from drug use disorders has increased disproportionally for the first time in six years. Heroin use and deaths related to overdose, appear to have increased sharply over the last two years. Opioids continue to pose the highest potential harm and health consequences among major drugs. In India, Punjab has the highest number of drug addicts. The main drugs consumed in India are opioids, sedatives, cocaine, cannabis, amphetamines and solvents.

These reports show that a large number of youths are involved in drug abuse and kills their ambitions. There are lots of consequential effect of the drug on youths that are: –

1. Signs of physical deterioration e.g. memory losses, short attention, and difficulty in concentration, weakness and laziness.
2. Poor physical coordination, slurred, bloody eyes or dilated the eye.
3. Change in behaviour pattern like – downward performance at schools or colleges.
4. Changes of friends circle.
5. Increase absence in schools or colleges.
6. Increase hostility, irritability
   

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Now the question is that why youth start being involved in drugs, what are the reasons behind taking the harmful risk of their life. There are many reasons for youth to start taking drugs like: –
*Sometimes they start taking drugs to fit in a group of friends.

*Family problems

*The biggest problem that today’s youths are facing is love affairs. Many young people start taking drugs because of their bad relationships. Sometimes they feel by taking drugs, it makes them feel better and they forget their problems.

Drugs don’t solve problems. Someone who uses drugs can become dependent on them and addicted consequently. Once someone is addicted, it is very hard to stop taking drugs, stopping can cause withdrawal symptoms such as – vomiting, sweating, shivering. These feelings continue until the person’s body get adjusted to being drug-free again.

*Curiosity, experimenting or wanting to take the risk. Youth know about the consequences of drugs even then they want to take a risk.

*To feel better: – Sometimes people try to forget about their problems. Some youth are suffering from depression, stress-related disorders and social anxiety so they start taking drugs to forget or replace their negative feeling with a substance that induced pressure.

*Lack of knowledge: – Youth don’t have the knowledge about the consequences of drug, they think that the use of drugs and alcohol are common, they are inspired by their favourite actor or musician that the movies are glamorizing. They need someone to tell them about the consequences of drugs and alcohol. These are some common reasons that give an answer that why youth starts taking drugs.

Drugs don’t only affect the addict but it also affects their families, if a person in a family who takes drugs the whole family have to suffer and these problems are increasing day by day. Parents have to recognize earlier symptoms of drug use, after continuous usage, it is very hard to prevent drugs usage. The earlier symptoms of drug abuse that parents have to recognize are: –

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1. Missing of schools or work, changes in the behaviour, disinterest in school activities or work, a sudden drop in grades or performance.
2. A sudden change in weight, it may be less or gain, red eyes, lack of energy and motivation.
3. Lack of interest in their personality like – clothing, grooming or looks.
4. A sudden change in behaviour and relationship with family and friends. They make efforts to stop family members from entering his/her room.
5. Increase of Irritability: – When a person starts taking a drug, they get irritated quickly, they react quickly without any matter.
6. A drug addict always requests money from his/her parents without any explanation or they steal from their home, to support drug abuse.
   

These are the major early symptoms of drug abuse that parents have to recognize in earlier stages, and contact a professional otherwise once they get addicted to these harmful substances it could be more difficult for them and their children. The risk of addiction and how fast it becomes an addiction depends on that drug that is consumed. Opioid painkillers have a higher risk and cause addiction more quickly than other drugs and as time passes, the person needs larger doses of those drugs.

Solution for a drug addict

Parents can prevent drug abuse. Parents are the best protector against the drug abuse of any youth. There are some important elements for parents to help their kids to avoid drugs and alcohol and these elements are as follows: –

1. Consistent and fair discipline.
2. Giving them love and understanding their feelings.
3. Parents have to give open channels of communication with their children to share their feelings.
4. They have to tolerate their children’s mistakes.
5. Motivate their children.
6. Giving them knowledge about growing up today (Sexuality, drugs, crime etc).
7. Parents have to give their children a stable atmosphere and spend family time together.

There is nothing more important for parents than their children and ambition of their children, the drug is the poison that kills their children ambitions. The major responsibilities of the parents are to make their children aware about their ambition and goals and always motivate them to give their best and achieve his/her goals and teach them to always avoid these types of distraction, which are the biggest problems of today’s youth.

Parents have to give proper knowledge about these problems and teach their children how they can kill their ambition and about the consequences of taking drugs. By having this knowledge about harmful substance youth are always motivated and focused on their ambition and they avoid drug abuse. If they avoid these types of harmful substance they always a positive mindset and always focus on their ambition and they get success in their life.