Drug Culture

Terms like Marijuana, alcohol, ecstasy, cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, etc. have become so common in our life today that they no more even sound different or alien to us. We are more familiar with these drugs and interesting stories surrounding them than anything else in this world. Mere mention of these drugs grabs our attention immediately and they are no more a taboo for people in the society. The truth existing in this point in itself is evident of thedreadful fact that unknowingly, these drugs have become an inseparable part of our society and culture.

Today, these drugs have powerfully conquered the lives of those people who gave them even tiniest space in their life to enter, just like the Britishers invaded our territory in a way that we didn’t even realized that we have grown into their ‘slaves’. But the most unfortunate and sad part is that, unlike the case of India, there doesn’t exist any ‘Mahatma Gandhi’ or ‘Jawaharlal Nehru’, who can help junkies get rid of their drug addiction.

Illegal drugs might give a short-term relief to our pains but with the period of time they turn into life-threatening drugs. These drugs directly affect our mind and possess the ability to misguide a user’s perception of what is happening around him/her. This is the reason why a person high on drugs depicts irrelevant, weird, irrational and sometimes disruptive actions.

Youngsters generally try their first hand at drugs out of curiosity with the instinct of trying it once and sometimes just to fit in the tag of being ‘cool and forward’. All the drug addicts start having it with the intention of ‘trying it just once’ and end up ‘craving for it forever’. Once addicted, it becomes a necessity for them. Their prime aim in life then becomes ‘getting high’! They spend the rest of their life yearning for more of heroin in order to keep themselves alive which ultimately results in ‘death’ because there is absolutely no way they can escape the web of its addiction.

Other reasons why people develop a desire to take drugs is generally when they are overstressed, overburdened, lose the last hope of living or suffer from extreme anxiety. To escape this strain and the dark side of their life they unknowingly fall into more dangerous and venomous trap of ‘drugs’ which is inescapable.

The statistics put forward by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2007 shows that around 208 million people consume illegal drugs all across the globe.

This statistics is clearly significant of the immediate and effective actions that must be taken in order to curb Drug abuse.  Some of the possible steps that might be taken in order to keep a check on emerging drug culture are:

• Educational institutes should reach the youth before the drug dealers reach them. Because of the glorification of drugs by media, children create a very mystical and luring image of drugs and remain very far from its devastating realities. So children must be taught about these drugs and their harmful effects at young age so that drug abuse is prevented even before it starts.

• Drug-free youth clubs must be ensured in the city, to keep young children away from falling prey to drugs. It is very necessary to instil a right mind-set in young children’s mind because if once they start practicing it, it is impossible to get them back on track.

• If drug abuse is detected at initial stages, it can be cured and controlled with personal help from family and friends as well as with the help of drug rehabilitation centres.

• Last but not the least always remember:

 Don’t huff, don’t puff,

Keep away such stuff

You might end up in cuffs!