5 minute read
Substance Abuse among students: Awareness, Cessation & Management
from You-wA-H
by schoolindia
Webinar 20
Substance Abuse among students: Awareness, Cessation & Management
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The epidemic of substance abuse in young generation has assumed alarming dimensions in India. Changing cultural values, increasing economic stress and dwindling supportive bonds are leading to initiation into substance use. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) Substance abuse is persistent or sporadic drug use inconsistent with or unrelated to acceptable medical practice. According to a UN report, one million heroin addicts are registered in India, and unofficially there are as many as five million. Cessation of Substance abuse in India needs intervention young and early in the adolescent agegroup.
The webinar tried to understand:
1. Prevalence of Substance Misuse among adolescents in India and the risks 2. Schools and community-based prevention programmes 3. Addressing attitudes in adolescents promoting substance abuse 4. Awareness and Implementation of COTPA Act 2019 in schools
Esteemed Panelists:
DR. ABHISHEK GHOSH MBBS, MD(Psychiatry), Assistant Professor, Drug De-addiction and Treatment Centre at Post graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research (PGIMER) MS. ANU BHATIA -
DR. GAURANG NAZAR M.B.B.S, PhD, Adjunct Research Scientist, Health Promotion Division at Public Health Foundation India Principal at St. Edmund's School, Jaipur
MS. VASU YAJNIK-SETIA Executive Director, Foundation for A Drug-Free World, India
KEY TAKEAWAYS
PREVALENCE OF SUBSTANCE MISUSE • Psychoactive drugs are drugs which are taken for abuse purposes. • A meta-analysis shows that 18% high school children consume tobacco. • A substance use survey conducted by Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment revealed that Indian children, between 10 and 17 years, use inhalants or glue and opioid scrub of drugs. • The tobacco industry keeps introducing new products in the market, some of them are not even classified as tobacco products for example electronic cigarettes. • Studies have revealed that by 9th grade more than half of India’s youth has tried drugs and most of the students who start consuming drugs at an early age do not complete their college education • Use of synthetic drugs alters the sleep cycle, eating habits and fatigue levels of an individual and makes them more aggressive and agitated towards their environment.
Adolescents might also lock themselves in their rooms. The eyes also tell about the use of drugs.
SIDE EFECTS OF SUBSTANCE MISUSE • If the young mind is injected with any form of drug at an earlier age, it results in a maturation lag which leads to an impaired decision making process, increase in risk taking behaviour and disinhibit a person.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Will lead to an impaired decision making process, increase in risk taking behaviour and disinhibit a person. Longitudinal studies reveal that substance use at an early age reduces the IQ by at least 10 points. Depression, psychosis, and similar mental illness are two to three times more common in people who are using drugs and alcohol, affecting their academic life, social life, family life, peer relationships and create a problem of addiction. Tobacco negatively affects all organs of our body in the long run.
ADDRESSING AND UNDERSTANDING THE BEHAVIOUR OF YOUTH • To be accepted by the peer group, people use drugs and alcohol • Adolescents indulge in substance use and abuse because they derive pleasure from it • Adolescents have also attached a status symbol and sense of identity with substances • Rebel is another leading cause of substance use and abuse.
IMPORTANCE OF ADDRESSING THE SUBSTANCE MISUSE ISSUES • Majority of the Indian population from the year 2018 to 2055, are going to be at the working age. We need to take care of this population to avoid a demographic disaster. • It is important to address the question “Why not do drugs?” for the adolescents. • If children know about the issue then there is a higher chance that they will stay away from drug use. • People argue for the recreational uses of marijuana or cannabis, however this is a myth • The “high” has been glamourized in the songs and movies, we need to de-glamourize it. • Youth needs to understand that the high is caused by your body's reaction to get rid of the substances consumed.
SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY BASED PREVENTION PROGRAMS • There are several windows of opportunity for intervention and prevention of substance use even after the child has initiated substance use. • We must aim at parenting skill program, life skill education program, brief interventions and changing the alcohol and tobacco policy at the national level. • Awareness sessions for mentors need to be conducted. • The best evidence based intervention is known as the brief intervention which can be
KEY TAKEAWAYS
done by anyone; a counselor, school teachers, medical professional, and psychologists.
ROLE OF CARETAKERS • Recognizing the sequence of substance and use and subsequent abuse is important for taking effective preventive measures at an earlier stage. This is known as the gateway hypothesis. • To identify if a child is using substances at an early age, parents can note the signs that start appearing early such as behavioural changes, the residual smell or hiding things • Students, teachers/management and parents form a triangle. This triangle helps in coming to the solution for any kind behavioural change. • Collaborative learning should be introduced to push the students’ strengths and cover their weaknesses.
SURVEY FINDINGS
48.5% of the survey participants informed that they had seen tobacco vendors within 100 yards radius of educational institutes. Among the factors influencing youth and adolescents’ indulgence in substance use 1. 37.4% responded that they indulge due to their tendency to experiment 2. 27.8% believe peer pressure to be a factor 3. 10% said that their need to be socially accepted influences them 4. 12.8% argued adolescent stressors to be reasons 5. 5.7% felt it is due to rapid growth and development 6. 6.4% believe that high risk-taking behaviour influences them 7. 76.4% of the audience feels that community-based intervention programs could help prevent substance use and abuse. 87.2% of the audience opines that subcultures adopted from online/television series influences the behaviour of adolescents towards substance use. Close to 68% schools conduct awareness sessions for youth and adolescents to prevent substance use and abuse. Over 30% schools do not have “no smoking” signage in their premises.
