Pubdate: Fri, 09 Sep 2005
Source: Greater Kashmir (India)
Copyright: 2005 GreaterKashmir.com GK Communications Pvt. Ltd.
Contact:  http://www.greaterkashmir.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3731
Author: Naqshab Afra
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?135 (Drug Education)

BEWARE! DON'T BE YOUR OWN DOCTOR

There Are Some Amongst Us Who Are Fond Of Taking Drugs As Food, As Water, 
As Air. Little Do They Know That In The Name Of Treating Themselves They 
Are Poisoning The Whole System Within Them, Warns Naqshab Afra

Self medication and drug abuse is also one of the mental health related 
problems and all sections of every society is prone to it. According to the 
WHO A"drug dependence is stated as, psychic and sometimes also physical, 
resulting from the interaction between a living organism and a drug, 
characterized by the behaviour and other responses that always include a 
compulsion to take the drug on a continuous or periodic basis in order to 
experience its psychic effects and sometimes to avoid the discomfort its 
absence. Drug dependence is also defined as a syndrome manifested by a 
behavioral pattern in which the use of a given psychoactive drug, or class 
of drugs, is given a much higher priority than other behaviors that once 
had higher value. Generally we consider drug abuse when a person uses the 
drug respectively without any medical reason and this use affects his/ her 
health in a negative way. Repeated use of drugs that are addictive can 
cause dependence, which makes a person feel a strong desire to continue 
taking the drugs, even though it may be causing harm to the person. When an 
addicted person tries to stop the drug, he feels sick and has withdrawal 
syndrome. Thus he continuous takes the drugs for simply avoiding withdrawal 
symptoms that are cramps, pains, tears, sweating, diarrhea and the like. 
There are many types of drugs that are abused of these, alcohol, tobacco, 
sleeping pills are unique because, in many societies, their use is socially 
accepted and legal. And it is typically seen in young people.

Why are drugs used? A. Self-medication Many people become drug addicts 
through self medication. They start using drugs without doctor's proper 
prescription. Usually it is some one who has already taken the same drugs 
in the past for the same problem which he is suffering now and later he 
starts prescribing it to himself or for his friends/family. This can be 
very dangerous because the doctors only prescribe when they go through the 
case study of the patient and same problem can have different causes. 
Almost every medicine has some sort of side effects which are usually 
balanced by a doctor by another medicine or by its minimal use. When a 
person starts self-medication he ignores this fact. We have to keep one 
important thing in our mind; doctors are only allowed to prescribe the 
drugs legally when they pass their rigorous training of five years. Had it 
been so easy to prescribe drugs then there was no need to acquire such 
training. Many a times a person who takes drugs without medication gets! 
addicted to it for he fails to judge when he needs to stop the medication. 
And this self medication practice causes many other problems in a person 
which can be even fatal at times. People also have a tendency to give lots 
of suggestion when some one has a problem. Thus a person having medical 
problems starts experimenting various medicines which can be extremely 
dangerous for his life.

Sleep and Relaxation Sleeping pills are one of the commonest types of 
medicine used in the world they are in fact used for all types of mental 
problems but especially for sleeping and anxiety. However just like alcohol 
sleeping pills can produce dependency once this happens the person can no 
longer sleep or feel relaxed unless he is regularly taking sleeping pills. 
If the pill is stopped a withdrawal reaction of sleeping problems is felt 
and this leads the persons to continue to taking the pills.

Intoxicants People start using tobacco for the same reasons as they start 
drinking. Peer pressure in school, being influenced by advertising of 
cigarette companies and a belief that smoking is trendy or fashion is 
common reasons for starting smoking. Once smoking has begun it quickly 
becomes dependence because tobacco contains nicotine, a highly intoxicant 
chemical. Often drug abuse starts in youth. Besides curiosity and easy 
availability of drugs, one of the main reasons for starting drug use in 
peer pressure (friend who are using drugs encourage the persons to use them).

Stress and Tension A person may use drugs as a way of coping or dealing 
with stress, such as in relationship conflicts, unemployment etc. Once the 
drug abuse has started, physical dependence caused is the main reason for 
continuing drug abuse.

Effects of Drugs Smoking cannabis can damage the breathing passage and the 
lungs. People with several mental disorders (psychosis) can become sicker 
when they take cannabis. Always make an effort to dissuade people from 
smoking it (As you should for any one smoking cigarettes), especially if 
they suffer from a severe mental disorder. Mental health problems. Because 
the drugs effect the brains, people who abuse drugs can be feel depressed 
and tense. Some drugs can make the person suspicious and 
confused.  Physical health problems. Problems can arise as result of the 
way a drug is abused. Thus, smoking a drug can damage the breathing 
passages and lungs, while injecting a drug can cause infections.  Family 
problems. Drugs abuse often leads to fights and problems in the family thus 
disrupting the social fabric.  Accidents. Someone who abuses drugs may have 
accidents while intoxicated.  Social problems. People who abuse drugs spend 
so much time taking them that they are usually not able to study, work or 
participate in everyday life.  Financial problem. Drugs cost money. Because 
people who take drugs generally have little source of income, the drug 
abuse causes poverty.  Legal problems. Some people who abuse drugs may 
become involved in criminal activities in order to obtain the drugs. In 
most societies, drug abuse itself is a crime and thus a person may be 
imprisoned if caught using drugs.  Death. Drug abuse can kill people 
through overdose, serious infections and accidents.

What drugs are abused? Drugs are used through different means like smoking, 
drinking, chewing, eating, sniffing or snorting the drugs through the nose, 
injecting. Injecting is the most dangerous way of taking drugs because of 
the risk of the infections and HIV/AIDS. Drugs that depress the brain. In 
small doses these drugs make a person feel relaxed. In larger amounts they 
make the person drowsy and unconscious. The withdrawal reaction is severe; 
the person may have a strong urge to take the drug, fever, restlessness, 
confusion, nausea, diarrhea, anxiety and convulsions. Drugs that stimulate 
the brain. In small doses, they make the person feel alert and awake. In 
larger doses the person feels tense, panicky and restless. Users may have 
difficulty controlling their thoughts and may hallucinate and become 
suspicious confused. The withdrawal reaction is typically associated with 
hunger and fatigue; it is usually mild. Drugs that make the person 
hallucinate. Many depressant and stimulant drugs can make a person 
hallucinate. Some people can become very excited, confused and suspicious 
when taking these drugs. There is no withdrawal state.

Psycho-social Factors During adolescence, two determinants of behaviour 
appear which are important in the context of drug use. 1. Increasing 
importance of peers as role models in addition to the continuing role 
modeling by parents. 2. Tendency to take risks, addiction, violence or 
initiation into taking of illicit drug.

If people know drugs can be harmful why then do that?  Careers of drugs 
taking begin with an offer to take the drug. This offer, when successful 
normally happens in circumstances where it is difficult to turn the offer 
down, in a situation which tends to be described, not very aptly, as social 
pressure or curiosity. More often it is in situations which could probably 
best be as conducive to impetuous or precipitous behavior a mixture of 
peering modeling, risk taking and challenging prescribed rules of 
behaviour. Or it will simply be an offer of the opportunity to join with 
others in what appears to be method of extending pleasurable aspects of a 
connectional recreational situation. So in spite of being "anti drug" , 
he/she evaluates the offer not in terms of drug education and morality but 
in terms of the current situation and the normal rules of the behavior 
appropriate in such recreational situations. For example sociability, 
enjoyment reciprocity, keeping ones cool, presenting self etc. This is true 
both for early offers of legal drugs (cigarettes, alcohol) and for later 
offers of illegal drugs.

- --To be concluded (Author is a Mass Communication pass out of MERC, 
University of Kashmir)
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom