Essay On Drug Abuse And Effects

Drug abuse is a social problem that has eaten deep into the fabric of the society. It is so widespread that nearly every one of us is affected in one way or the other. Either directly or indirectly, a family member, an acquaintance, a friend, a colleague or someone known to us is battling the fight against the Goliath of Drug abuse. Drug abuse simply means means taking drugs without the doctor’s prescription. In essence, it means taking any drug without the doctor’s consent. At the same time, it also includes taking more than the doctor has prescribed. Prescription drugs such as Pentazocine used to alleviate pain, codeine which is contained in cough mixtures and benzodiazepines which are muscle relaxants are widely abused prescription drugs. Both prescription drugs and social drugs are abused, but it is believed that the social drugs are abused more. The abused social drugs are; alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, heroin, cocaine, ecstasy, crack and lysergic acid diethylamide popularly known as LSD.
These drugs cause distortion of the central nervous system. The feeling experienced when taken is described as second to none, a euphoric feeling, which alters sense of reasoning and judgement at that point in time. They want the feeling over and over again thereby propelling them to take more. Gradually, they become dependent on the drugs and eventually become addicted.
Drugs are abuse because some individuals have easy access to the drugs, also peer pressure and a major life event which leads to depression or loneliness.
Medical practitioners and some patients have easy access to prescription drugs as well as some social drugs in controlled quantities. Patients like sickle cell anaemia patients are often given the drug pentazocine which is an opoid analgesic to relieve pain. Pentazocine has both analgesic and euphoric properties. In a bid to have this feeling repeatedly, they often fake pain. Eventually, when the real pain is felt, the normal dosage to control the pain becomes inadequate, the dosage is increased, the patient becomes heavily dependent on it and eventually becomes addicted to it.
Youths and adolescents indulge in drugs in a bid to gain social acceptance often referred to as 'feeling among'. In a bid to feel among, their sense of morals and values are sacrificed on the altar of vanity. Teenagers often feel rejected when attaining the stage of puberty. They want to move with the happening guys, they want approval from acceptance from friends of opposite sex. They want to attend numerous wild parties and be thought of as cool by their peers. Alcohol, marijuana and crack usually come first, followed by cocaine, heroin and lysergic acid diethylamide. They do drugs in groups, often like fraternity members, using the same needles and syringes during the orgies.
Another reason why people indulge in drug abuse is when they cannot deal with a major life event such as the loss of a spouse, a job, dwindling fortunes, natural disasters and when economic calamities like depressions happen. These events lead to depression, subsequently they indulge in drinking and drug use. These are done to temporally forget their worries and problems. Once one is intoxicated, all sense of reasoning and functioning is obliterated. About three years ago when the world was hit with economic recession which made a lot of people lose their houses, their jobs , livelihood and hope seemed to be lost. A lot of people found succour in drugs and alcohol.
The effects of drug abuse on the individual and the society at large are numerous. Of importance to me is what an uncle of mine is going through. After immersing himself in the oceans of drug abuse after losing his house to the depression. He got infected with the HIV virus through acts of needle sharing when shooting up. He now leads an hopeless and wretched life. This is no more a problem for him, he is more or less a shame on the family.
In conclusion, drug abuse is a social problem which should be tackled rigorously in the society through massive campaigns to sensitize the populace about the eventual effect on the society.