Flipbook onSubstance Abuse

YoungHealth

Programme

Published by Plan India September 2011

Please feel free to quote, translate, distribute and transmit parts or all of this publication provided that Plan India is acknowledged.

These documents are produced for use in India.

The AstraZeneca Young Health Programme

This publication is a product of the Young Health Programme, AstraZeneca’s global community investment programme.

The Young Health Programme is designed to help disconnected young people around the world deal with the health issues they face, protecting their health now and improving their chances for a better life in the future.

The programme is a partnership between AstraZeneca, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Plan International, a leading international, child-centred development organisation.

Plan works in 48 countries across Latin America, Africa and Asia, helping the world’s poorest children to move from a life of poverty to a future with opportunity.

Drug use and substance abuseAny chemical that alters the physical or mental functioning of an individual, is a drug. A drug may or may not have medical use. When drugs are used to cure an illness, prevent a disease or improve health, it is termed “drug use”.

Substance abuseWhen drugs or substances are used without a doctor’s recommendation for changing the way the body or mind works, it is called ‘Substance Abuse’.

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Various drugs and their harmful effects • Cannabinoids (e.g. hashish and marijuana) - Problems with memory and

learning, loss of coordination, increased heart rate, reduced blood pressure which may lead to risk of heart attack

• Stimulants (e.g. amphetamines, cocaine, nicotine, tobacco) - High blood pressure, heart failure, chronic sleep problems, extreme mood swings, compulsive repetition of actions, paranoia/ anxiety/ depression/ Irritability/ suspiciousness, weight loss, panic attacks/seizures

• Depressants (e.g. alcohol, barbiturates) – Fatigue, impaired memory and judgment, fever, slurred speech, dizziness, life threatening withdrawal symptoms, respiratory depression arrest and even death

• Narcotics (opioids and morphine derivatives, e.g. heroin, opium) – Nausea, constipation, sedation, respiratory depression and arrest, unconsciousness, it could also lead to death

• Hallucinogens (e.g. LSD and mescaline) – Increased body temperature, heart rate and blood pressure, loss of appetite, sleeplessness, weakness and persistent mental disorders

• Other compounds (e.g. steroids and inhalants) - Memory loss, weakness, depression is caused by inhalants. Steroid intake could lead to hypertension, blood clotting, change in cholesterol, liver cysts cancer, kidney cancer, in males it causes prostrate cancer, and cause impotency, in females it causes menstrual irregularities and growth of hair in their bodies.

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Some of the commonly abused drugs

Marijuana Cocaine Tobacco Alcohol

Barbiturates Opium Ecstasy Morphine Steroids

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Injecting drug use• In substance dependence and recreational drug use, drug injection is a

method of introducing a drug into the body with a hollow needle and a syringe which is pierced through the skin into the body

• The most commonly injected drugs are heroin and other opiates, cocaine and amphetamines

• Injection drug use is a major risk factor for HIV infection in India, it is estimated that among AIDS cases only about 3 to 4 percent cases are transmitted by IDU, which happens due to sharing of contaminated syringes

• The other risks include abscessed infections, damage of artery and veins risk of overdose.

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Substance dependenceSubstance dependence is defined as ‘compulsively seeking to use a substance, regardless of the potentially negative social, psychological, and physical consequences’.

• Regular use of drugs• Deterioration in physical appearance

and neglect of personal grooming• Weight loss• Loss of appetite • Glassy or red eyes• Erratic sleep patterns • Mood swings• Changes in skin tone • Giving up familiar activities such as sports,

homework, or hobbies

• Sudden changes in work or school attendance and in the quality of work or grades

• Stealing money• Change in behaviour - more anger, depression

loneliness, and overall attitude change • Avoiding friends who don’t use substances and/

or associating with known users• Needing to use larger quantities of the substance

to achieve the same effects as before.

What are the different signs and symptoms of substance dependence and substance abuse? Dependence on any substance may include these general characteristics:

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Adolescents are highly at risk of substance abuse and use• Adolescents, generally, tend to engage in heavy and more

frequent use of substances as compared to adults• Adolescents often try and use more than one substance• Adolescents tend to experiment• Adolescents lack well-developed sense of risk• Adolescents are more vulnerable to peer pressure and are less

likely to have sufficient confidence to say ‘no’ to peer pressure• Lack of various life skills such as critical thinking and ability to

cope with stress may lead them to engage in unhealthy means of dealing with challenges in life

• Drug dealers generally specifically target young people, even often giving them the drugs free of cost till they are addicted

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How can substance abuse or dependence in-fluence one’s life? Different substances not only influence your health but also have long-term effects on your financial, familial and social status.

• Addicts obsessively spend on drugs, wasting a lot of money. Because they lose the ability to work regularly, they steal, beg or borrow money to pay for the addiction

• Addicts are unable to develop healthy family relations and may get into huge conflicts with their family members

• At the workplace, their performance level is bound to worsen, punctuality fall, and they are likely to increasingly absent themselves from work

• Addicts move away from their friends and family and only consider other addicts as their friends.

• Physical harms such as duodenal ulcers, liver damage (cirrhosis) that often ends in liver failure or cancer, could be caused by excessive drinking.

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Prevention of substance abuseHigh self-esteem is very important to prevent substance abuse. One should have high self-esteem and self-respect, realistic expectations, and must know the fact that drugs don’t give long-term benefits; one must be responsible enough for his family.

Some of the strategies which can be used are:

• Stay in the company of non-substance abusers and friends with healthy interests

• Always look for healthy solutions • Look for various healthy recreational facilities for excitement• Build strong family bonds• Don’t be afraid to say no to anyone if you feel it is right to say no• Always exercise self-control and reward yourself if you do it• If someone is offering free drugs, refuse! That person has a

damaging agenda and is not a well-wisher.

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Support of family and friends to substance-depend-ent person/substance abuser• Family members should try to build strong bonds with children. Keeping

consistent supervision and developing strong, trusting bonds help to protect children from unhealthy lifestyle habits

• Parents should have regular talks with their children to help them understand the consequences of their actions

• Parents should have regular talks with their children so that children feel confident and trustful to confide in them if they are facing troubles such as the ill effects of experimenting with drugs

• Friends should immediately report suspicions of addiction to the person’s parents• Friends should always try to stop the addicted person at the start itself. We can

take the addict to the health centre and help him / her get de-addicted at any stage with the help of the doctor and consistent family support.

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Self realisation and will-power to deal with sub-stance abuse• The first and most important step to deal with substance abuse is to

abstain from it, right from the beginning, i.e., saying “No” without even thinking twice

• Second, the addict should seek professional help. He or she should go to a doctor, preferably a psychiatrist. The addict may also go to a de-addiction centre in the nearby health centre

• Third, the addict should strictly adhere to the treatment prescribed by the doctor. Very often, medicines and special diet are prescribed by the doctor for a specified length of time

• Fourth, the addict should seek out a support group of like-minded people who will understand the difficulties of stopping the drug abuse and provide him or her with the necessary moral and emotional support. The support of these people are often as important as the support of family members and other friends.

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Role of yoga in drug de-addictionYoga is a therapy of the highest level of potency and accomplishment, perhaps even an instrument of transcendence. Yoga practice must either change the system or offer a challenge.

However there are other forms of physical therapies which could help them cope with de-addiction which may include engaging in sports and other physical activities.

MeditationMeditation helps you to discover yourself. Through understanding you can find the creative choices that replace the addictive behaviour. Each new behaviour you develop through this exercise provides another way to move from destructive to a creative one. There are other forms of mental therapy to help the drug users which are therapy, getting a new hobby etc.

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Plan India is a nationally registered child centred community development organisation. For over 30 years, Plan and our partners have helped communities throughout India to help themselves, so that children have access to their rights including the right to protection, basic education, proper healthcare, a healthy environment, livelihood opportunities and participation in decisions which affect their lives. We encourage children to express their views and be actively involved in improving their communities. Plan India currently works in 11 states in India and has impacted the lives of over a million children.

Plan India’s rights based approach helps bring lasting improvements to the lives of vulnerable children and their communities in India, including children living on the streets and those living in urban homeless families; those with disabilities or affected by HIV; those who are exploited and trafficked; the children of sex workers; and child labourers. Plan India also works to help girls overcome the disadvantage and discrimination they face in everyday life within most communities.

Plan India is committed to the principles of child rights and equality, and we work to develop the capacity of civil society to meet their own needs by replicating successful development models.

Plan India is part of Plan International, one of the world’s largest community development organisations. Plan’s vision is of a world in which all children realise their full potential in societies which respect people’s rights and dignity.

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