Role of School, Parents and Society to Overcome Substance Abuse

“Addiction destroys lives, tears apart families and harms society.”

Substance abuse is also known as drug abuse. It is when one takes drugs that are not legal. It’s also when one uses alcohol, prescription medicine, and other legal substances too much or in the wrong way.

It is also a patterned use of a particular drug in which the user consumes the substance in amounts which are harmful to themselves or others.

The harmful or hazardous use of psychoactive substances, including alcohol and illicit drugs can lead to dependence syndrome - a cluster of behavioral, cognitive, and physiological occurrence that develop due to substance abuse and that include a strong desire to take the drug and difficulties in controlling its use.

The teacher, at the Best School in Ghaziabad, explains that substance abuse differs from addiction. Many people with substance abuse problems are able to quit or can change their unhealthy behavior. Addiction on the other hand means one can’t stop using even when the condition causes harm.

Substance Abuse can happen if someone:

• Takes medicine prescribed for someone else or take over the counter drugs
• Takes extra doses or use a drug other than the way it’s supposed to be taken
• Takes the drug for a non-medical reason

Types of prescription drugs that are most often abused include:

• Pain relievers like Opioids
• Medicine used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
• Anxiety medicine

The most commonly abused over the counter drugs are cough and cold medicine, which if taken in high doses can make someone feel drunk or intoxicated.

Drugs most often associated with the term substance abuse are: alcohol, amphetamines, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, cannabis, cocaine, hallucinogens, methaqualone, and opioids. The exact cause of substance abuse is not clear. But there are two theories like it can be due to either a genetic disposition, or a habit that can lead to chronic disease.

Effects of Substance Abuse

Drug abuse may lead to serious problems for accidents, suicides, homicides, morbidity, social problems, and psychological disorders. Severe anxiety and depression are common amongst the drug abusers. There is a high rate of suicide in drug abusers as it affects the brain. In some cases criminal behavior occurs when the person is under the influence of a drug.

Substance abuse, including alcohol and prescription drugs, can induce mental illness. In some cases these can cause psychiatric disorders and can persist long after detoxification after amphetamine or cocaine abuse, and may trigger panic attacks during intoxication. With continued use, can be deadly, with a higher chance of developing schizophrenia.

Preventive Measures

According to World Health Organization:

• The harmful use of alcohol results in 3.3 million deaths each year.
• On average every person in the world aged 15 years or older drinks 6.2 litres of pure alcohol per year.
• Less than half the population (38.3%) actually drinks alcohol, this means that those who do drink consume on average 17 litres of pure alcohol annually.
• Some 31 million persons have drug use disorders.
• Almost 11 million people inject drugs, of which 1.3 million are living with HIV, 5.5 million with hepatitis C, and 1 million with both HIV and hepatitis C.
• WHO’s activities in the areas of prevention of drug use and treatment of drug use disorders; prevention and management of drug-related blood borne infections, including HIV and viral hepatitis; and improved access to controlled medicines are to help the developing countries to fight against it.

There is an increasing demand of treatment for cannabis use disorders and associated health conditions in high- and middle-income countries, and there has been increased attention to the public health aspects of cannabis use and related disorders in international drug policy dialogues. It aims to present the current knowledge on the impact of substance abuse on health. WHO is committed to assist countries in the development, monitoring and evaluation of treatment.

Role of School, Parents and Society

Prevention is better than cure and schools can play a major role to make students aware of the evil effects of substance abuse.

ASPAM Scottish School, one of the Best Schools in Noida, takes initiative to create awareness among the students about the dangers of substance abuse. Time to time counseling sessions are taken up to sensitize the students regarding Substance Abuse and its effect on health.

The factors that are addressed are knowledge about OCD (over the counter drugs), prohibited drugs, multiple risks that are associated to it and how to take prevention against it as per different age groups. In ASPAM information is delivered through interactive methods and sensitivity that includes relevant language and audiovisual content. Apart from counseling, personal and social skill development training are also given to our children.

Along with schools, family, community or the healthcare community can make the prevention programme successful. In this regard the parents and teachers have equal responsibility. ASPAM Scottish works with parents and community members to establish programs that teach children the dangers of drug use or provide them with alternative activities.

Students here are encouraged to utilize their energy through activities like sports, music, reading, yoga and other extracurricular activities like poster making, slogan writing, skit and campaigning in school, societies, and in public places to make people aware that there are alternatives to drugs which are fun and creative. One can enjoy a healthy life without drugs.

ASPAM Scottish builds positive relationship with students, parents, and society which create a greater sense of responsibility amongst the students to work for the society.

Life is beautiful, let it be the reason to live.