Drug Addiction or Drug Abuse is now common all over the world. It is not peculiar to any tribe, colour or continent. It is now universal.
As worrisome as this negative habit is, school boys and girls, Uncles, Daddies and Mummies are all involved. Even, some law enforcement agents have been caught and prosecuted for illegal use of drugs while on duty after an ‘accidental discharge’, killing innocent citizens. Rape has been severally committed under the influence of illicit drugs.
Even though drug use was generally believed to be among men in the past, today, findings reveal that females are now well versed in the use of harmful drugs as a respite.
For clarity, let us explain what a drug is. A drug is a combination of medicinal chemicals or substances formulated and prepared by chemists and pharmacists for the treatment or cure of different ailments under the recommendation and supervision of competent medical Doctors.
Drugs are many and diverse in their simplicity and strength. There are drugs that people can walk into a chemist’s shop and purchase for use when having minor health issues. The commonest among these drugs are the analgesics- Panadol, paracetamol, cough syrup, vitamin C and the like.
However, antibiotic capsules, tranquillizers, Indian hemp, cocaine, heroin, and LSD are not to be bought on the counter but only through a competent doctor’s prescription after effective diagnosis.
Today, we have other harmful drugs that people indulge themselves in such as –‘forget me’, roaches, roofies and ruffles. Other street names include date rape drug, la Roche, R2, rib, roach, roofenol, lunch money drug, Mexican valium, pingus, Renolds, Robutal and wolfies, to mention a few. These all have negative effects on the body and brain. You should not be surprised to know that your young ‘innocent’ girl on campus does drugs but hides for you at home on holidays.
What has been the defence of people using these harmful drugs as their way of life or consolation?
It is astounding that some ladies say they take drugs because of boredom or want to be as bold as men.
As a trained and certified Duty Care Manager of a reputable firm, some years back, I had an encounter with an 18-year-old girl, who revealed to me during one of my counselling sessions, that things have gone so bad with the abuse of drugs among the youths including our girls.
This lady in question(name withheld) opened up to me about her frequent use of marijuana. Surprisingly, she said she had tried cocaine but had no fancy for it. Nonetheless, she said she was attracted to Rohypnol.
According to her, it gives her some relief from painful thoughts of rejection and she could get involved with all sorts of sexual acts without remembering any!
She said ’’ I am not the only one experimenting with rohypnol’. ‘’Several students on campus are doing the same in the universities especially where I am studying Computer Science in a private university’’.
It’s now crystal clear that many students take drugs; some on cocaine, marijuana, etc. Some even go as far as using Benylin cough syrup with codeine and some use tramadol to get hyper-high.
The news here is that a lot of these are complaining of boredom. Ask them, they would respond that they have taken drugs because they are bored, very bored! Boys may say only ‘big’ boys take marijuana and something like that.
Turning to drugs has removed all inhibitions in them and given them ‘boldness’ or Dutch courage to find what they consider as fun and express themselves thereby.
The question is, what is this newfound fun they are talking about? As I probed further, I realized that it was having the ability and agility to have sex in a manner beyond the ordinary. Most of the young boys and girls on campus now are excited about the idea of having sex with two boys(and vice versa) simultaneously. They call it a twosome or threesome!!!
They are excited at taking pictures of themselves with bare breasts, and manhood and using them as display pictures on their Android phones! Just try to check the phones of these boys and girls, you would be shocked at the kind of pictures and videos you will find there.
Some of them think it is fun to record their amorous acts and leave it on their phones so that they can watch it over and over again and even send it to their friends.
I was privileged to collect a student phone when trying to investigate her frivolous sexual escapades engineered by her indulgence in narcotics on campus; I was shocked at what she used as her wallpaper a guy’s pi-is!! She was not scared or ashamed to defend it even when counselled to delete it. ‘’Sir , it’s all fun,’’ ‘’there is nothing there’’- she retorted.
These days, you will find teenagers saying they are bored and have found drugs as consolation, to have fun!!
Now I ask what is this boredom they echo about?
By simple explanation, boredom is an unpleasant mental and emotional state characterized by discontent and lack of interest. Physiological arousal is low; any sense of excitement is completely absent.
A clear distinction can be made between situational boredom and chronic boredom. While situation boredom is specific and everyone has experienced it at one time or the other. Examples include being bored with classroom lectures, a movie, a book, a person, a long drive or ride without interesting scenes, a repetitive task, being alone at home for a long time and many more.
Chronic boredom, however, is general and pervasive. It is pathological and destructive. People who suffer from chronic boredom tend to be bored with significant others in their lives such as partners, parents and their children. They also tend to be bored with their day-to-day routines and their vocations.
This second kind of boredom is a sort of psychological cancer that eats deep at the heart of one’s existence.
The young lady I mentioned earlier in this piece was going through this kind of boredom. She had everything at her beck and call; she was being very well cared for by her parents yet she had become very bored with her parents and siblings and couldn’t wait to be far away from them. Though the Mum tried to protect her by shielding her from the so-called ills of society. For her, why should the mother be comparing her with her siblings, after all, she has her own life to live!
A pragmatic investigation in a boarding school revealed that those living in the dormitories are prone to using drugs without being caught if adequate supervision is not put in place as a strong policy.
In a scenario, students were on their beds relaxing, probably getting to sleep and the in-house supervisor was around to monitor their welfare. A particular student who had just been moved from the UK to Nigeria to continue his schooling was in that room, also relaxing on his bed with a bottle of COCA-COLA beverage lying on his bed.
The supervisor, jokingly, wanted to pick the coke bottle to tease the boy; alas! It was met with a sharp and aggressive response that sent an inkling that the Coke was not the ordinary type. It was later discovered that he had lazed the beverage with alcohol but pretended all the while that it was an ordinary Coca-Cola drink. It was also later found out on investigation that it was not only him in that weird trick but some of them also lazed their bottle of water with one harmful drug or the other.
Perhaps many of those who indulge in this bad habit are not aware of the negative consequences. The following are some of the deadly effects on the body.
Effects of Rohypnol appear 15-20 minutes after use and lasts approximately four to six hours. Some residual effects can be found 12 hours or more after use. The harmful drugs destroy the body components-liver, kidney, intestines and the brain among others. It can also lead to insanity or being paralyzed.
The government is worried and is trying to curtail illegal drug import or export. Seminars and symposia are held here and there just to sensitize the populace on the dangers of indulging and dealing with these hard drugs.
However, the government cannot do it alone.
Parents should watch their children’s lifestyle and the kind of friends they have and follow –up while in school. Regular counselling and keen observation of their children or wards’ attitudes are keys to discovering who takes What. A forceful approach cannot do it; but love, care, regular counselling and exposing them to the dangers of taking hard drugs will perform the magic.
Any of the children(male or female) suspected of showing traits of indulging in these harmful drugs must be made to go for a medical check-up -which will reveal the position of the body. Nonetheless, parents should not be deceived that a child is completely innocent of this monster until proven. These children need help, they need one-on-one professional counselling.
There are policies guarding the use of drugs in the country. These policies will only be effective if practical and concerted efforts are made to arrest the trend.
Law Enforcement Officials should be deployed in different parts of the country to fish out the dealers and hawkers of these harmful drugs. Let them beam their searchlights on motor parks, brothels, day and night parties, and street corners and apprehend those selling these drugs; prosecute them, and if found guilty send them to prison to serve as deterrents.
A lot of crimes being committed in the country today have their roots in drug addiction. Many youths are in psychiatric hospitals because of harmful drug injections and intakes. We need to rid society of this ugly monster that has become a canker-worm in our society destroying the supposed leaders of tomorrow. There should be sanity in the use of drugs for the sustainable peace and coexistence of all.
By Idowu Tunde
Idowu Tunde is the Editor-in-Chief of The Interviews Nigeria(an Online Publication)
He’s a Development Communicator and Trained Duty Care Manager /Counsellor keenly interested in building good morals for youths and inculcating the same in his environment.