Adolescence
– drug and alcohol abuse
Adolescence begins with
a period of rapid physical and sexual development called puberty to
maturity at 12 to 19 years of age. Adolescence is also a highly dynamic period
of psychologicaland social changes in individuals. Adolescents are vulnerable
to group (peer) pressure and many youngsters are pushed into experimenting with
drugs and alcohol. Proper education and guidance would enable youth to say no
to drugs and alcohol and to follow a healthy life style.
Alcohol is a
psychoactive drug, which acts on the brain, affecting a person’s mind and
behaviour. It is a depressant, which slows down the activity of the nervous system.
The intake of certain drugs for a purpose other than their normal clinical use
in an amount and frequency that impair one’s physical, physiological and
psychological functions is called drug abuse.
The drugs which are
commonly abused include opioids, cannabinoids, coca-alkaloids, barbiturates,
amphetamines and LSD.
Opioids are drugs which bind to
specific opioid receptors present in the central nervous
system and intestinal tract. Heroin (smack) is chemically
diacetyl morphine, which is white, odourless and bitter crystalline
It is obtained
by acetylation of morphine, which is extracted from flowers of the poppy plant (Fig.
7.9) . Morphine is one of the strongest pain killer and is used
during surgery. It is the most widely abused narcotic drug which acts as a
depressant and slows down body functions.
Cannobinoids are a group of chemicals
obtained from Cannabis sativa, the Indian hemp plant (Fig.
7.10). Natural cannabinoids are the main source of marijuana,
ganja, hashish and charas. It interferes in the transport of the
neurotransmitter, dopamine and has a potent stimulating action on the CNS,
producing increased energy and a sense of euphoria.
Cocaine is a white powder that
is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant, Erythroxylum coca.Itiscommonlycalledcokeorcrack.Cocaine
causes serious physical and psychological problems including hallucinations
and paranoia. The other plants with hallucinogenic properties are
Atropa belladonna and Datura (Fig. 7.11 and Fig. 7.12).
Drugs like
methamphetamine, amphetamines, barbiturates, tranquilizers, Lysergic acid
diethylamide (LSD) are normally used as medicine to treat patients with mental
illness like depression and insomnia and are often abused.
Tobacco is smoked,
chewed and used as snuff. It increases the carbon monoxide content of blood and
reduces the concentration of haem bound oxygen, thus causing oxygen deficiency
in the body. Tobacco contains nicotine, carbon monoxide and tars,
which cause problems in the heart, lung and nervous system. Adrenal glands are
stimulated by nicotine to release adrenaline and nor adrenaline which increases
blood pressure and heart beat.
Addiction is a physical
or psychological need to do or take or use certain substance such as alcohol,
to the point where it could be harmful to the individual. This addictive
behaviour can be personally destructive to a person. Overtime addicts start to
lose not only their jobs, homes and money, but also friendship, family
relationships and contact with the normal world. Addiction to drugs and alcohol
can lead to a psychological attachment to certain effects such as euphoria
and temporary feeling of well being.
Repeated use of drugs and
alcohol may affect the tolerance level of the receptors present in the body.
These receptors then respond only to highest doses of drugs and alcohol leading
to greater intake and addiction. Excessive use of drug and alcohol leads to
physical and psychological dependence. When psychological dependence develops,
the drug user gets mentally ‘hooked on’ to the drug. The drug user
constantly thinks only about the drug and has continuous uncontrollable craving
for it. This state called “euphoria ” is characterized by mental and
emotional preoccupation with the drug.
Physical dependence is a
state in which the user’s body requires a continuous presence of the drug. If
the intake of the drug or alcohol is abruptly stopped, he or she would develop withdrawal
symptoms. In a sense, the body becomes confused and protests against
the absence of the drug. The withdrawal symptoms may range from mild tremors to
convulsions, severeagitationandfits,depressedmood,anxiety, nervousness,
restlessness, irritability, insomnia, dryness of throat, etc, depending on the
type of drug abuse.
Short-term effect
appears only for a few minutes after the intake of drugs and alcohol. The
abuser feels a false sense of well being and a pleasant drowsiness. Some short
term effects are euphoria, pain, dullness of senses, alteration in behaviour,
blood pressure, narcosis (deep sleep), nausea and vomiting.
Drugs and alcohol have
long-term effect that lead to serious damages, because of the constant and
excessive use. The physical and mental disturbance makes the life of the user
unbearable and torturous. For example heavy drinking permanently damages
the liver and brain.
The use of alcohol
during adolescence mayhave long-term effects. Alcohol interferes with the ability
of the liver to break down fat. Over time fat accumulation and high levels of
alcohol destroy the liver cells and a scar tissue grows in the place of dead
cells. This scarring of the liver is called “Liver cirrhosis”. Alcohol
irritates the stomach lining due to the production of excess acid leading to
ulcers. Excessive alcohol use weakens the heart muscle, causing scar tissue to
build up in the cardiac muscle fibers. As a result, heavy drinkers have an
increased risk of high blood pressure, stroke, coronary artery disease and
heart attack. Korsakoff syndrome, a chronic memory disorder is most commonly
caused by alcohol misuse.
It is practically
possible to prevent some one from using drugs and alcohol. Here are some ways
that help to prevent drug and alcohol abuse.
1. Effectively dealing
with peer pressure
The biggest reason for
teens to start on drugs is due to their friends / peer groups imposing pressure
on them. Hence, it is important to have a better group of
friends to avoid such harmful drugs and alcohol.
2. Seeking help from
parents and peers
Help from parents and peer
group should be sought immediately so that they can be guided appropriately.
Help may even be sought from close and trusted friends. Getting proper advice
to sort out their problems would help the young to vent their feelings of
anxiety and guilt.
3. Education and
counselling
Education and counselling create positive attitude to deal
with many problems and to accept disappointments in life.
4. Looking for danger
signs
Teachers and parents need to look for sign that indicate tendency to go
in for addiction.
5. Seeking
professional and medical assistance
Assistance is available
in the form of highly qualified psychologists, psychiatrists and de-addiction
and rehabilitation programmes to help individuals to overcome their problems.
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