by Dr Sarmad Syed
Drug addiction is one of the worst fears’ parents have when sending their kids to college. Lack of proper guidance at the right time can get good students addicted and send him spiralling down into the abyss of drug abuse.
Psychoactive drug and students
Psychoactive drugs are the more commonly available drugs to medical students. These include cigarettes, benzodiazepines, snuff, cannabis, alcohol, amphetamines, opioids, cocaine, heroin & organic solvents. Unfortunately, drug cartels sell cigarettes and snuff legally and some of them can be easily obtained. While the rest requires finding the right person and paying them the right money. Drug pushers in the form of students and staff can be found in all medical institutions, and conducting business during college hours has become a norm.
Reasons for drug abuse
A recent study shows stress and pleasure-seeking to be the main reasons for drug abuse in students. Other reasons include easy availability and students wanting to try out something new. Once again, the lack of proper guidance on the guardian’s part can render children impervious to thinking about the repercussions of their ill-formed decisions.
How do students fall for drugs?
A study has shown that a vast majority of students hooked on drugs are outside of their homes. While studying to become doctors, they live in rented apartments and hostels. These places provide the necessary unsupervised environment that is fundamental to cloud a child’s judgement to tell right from wrong. Senior students who’ve already fallen prey, slowly start pushing their juniors to try drugs. A younger student may give in due to many reasons. This includes the fear of being harassed, both physically and verbally, or to be accepted as a part of the fraternity formed within that building.
How to prevent drug abuse in Students?
To sum up, the government needs to strongly intervene and work closely with the medical universities to bring this scourge under control. At the alarming pace at which this is spreading, we need mass awareness via frequent seminars and lectures. Authorities should vigilantly monitor students and their activities and investigate thoroughly.
We need to intervene to save our present, for here within it lies our future.
-The author is a contributing writer for Dental News Pakistan and can be reached at sarmadbinrafi@gmail.com
