Drug abuse is one of the greatest problems affecting the world today. Many countries have had to deal with so many problems that come with the use of harmful drugs. Some of the commonly abused drugs include alcohol, cocaine, bhang, and hero (Higgins, 2007). Apart from these, pharmaceutical drugs have also been abused. The number of companies that make these drugs is also increasing at an alarming rate, with each doing its best to have the most customers through advertisements. Given the fact that they are readily available in chemists, people do not seek the services of medical practitioners. They instead-but buy them over the counter any time they need them, something that could lead to wrong prescription (Higgins, 2007).
People take drugs because of several reasons. The most common one is peer pressure, especially among the youth (Lyman, 2010). Many young people will influence others to get into the act while others do it out of curiosity because they have seen their peers do it. Others might just have heard stories about how it feels and decide to go on and adopt the behavior. The other cause of drug-taking is depression. Day-to-day life is filled with many challenges, which if one is not able to deal with properly can result in depression. To do away with it or rather to forget about it, many people indulge in drug abuse (Lyman, 2010).
The economic crises facing most countries today could be a major cause of drug abuse. Young people want to get a good education, but lack of money limits them from satisfying their education needs. Even those who are lucky to get a college education either lack jobs or end up getting jobs that cannot sustain them in the current global economic crises. Many of them result in abusing drugs, either to forget it or to kill time (Lyman, 2010).
People have developed serious health complications, lost their loved ones, lost their lives, children have been left orphaned, and nations have lost a huge number of human resources (Higgins, 2007). Several actions can be taken to curb the situation. First, those addicted to drugs should be given specific pharmaceutical drugs to counteract the effect. This is because once addicted, the body is normally filled with the addictive substance that keeps asking a person to take more and more of the drugs. An example is the nicotine substance found in tobacco. Such substances can be medically eliminated from the body to control its addiction (Isralowitz, 2002). These services can easily be obtained from hospitals as well as, drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers.
Rehabilitation centers have been the best institutions in transforming the lives of drug addicts. There, they are projected to a systematic system of overcoming dependence on drugs (Higgins, 2007). Many of the victims of the habit end up dropping out of college and as a result, their education comes to a sudden stop. Developing a college program in those rehabilitation centers is the best thing that can be done to such people.
As they are helped to overcome drug abuse, they will in turn be able to continue with their college education. Different courses have to be offered to take care of the interests of the drug addicts. They must, by the rule of the institution take a course in the management of drugs. By the end of it all, they come out as changed and responsible people, equipped with careers ready to serve the community (Isralowitz, 2002).
Reference List
Higgins, S. T., Silverman, K., & Heil, S. H. (2007). Contingency management in substance abuse treatment. New York: Guilford Press.
Isralowitz, R., & ebrary, Inc. (2002). Drug use, policy, and management. Westport, Conn: Auburn House.
Lyman, M. D. (2010). Drugs in Society: Causes, Concepts and Control. Cincinnati: Anderson Publishing.