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Drug abuse is the excessive, maladaptive, or addictive use of drugs for non-medicinal purposes. It also defines a state, emotional and sometimes physical, characterized by a compulsion to take drugs on a constant basis in order to experience its mental effects. Drug abuse gives rise to dependence both physical and psychological. Dependence gives rise to mental, emotional, biological or physical, social and economic instability. The effects of drug abuse on an individual therefore form the basis for its cumulative effects on the society. This is the major danger of drug abuse.
Youth in any society occupy a delicate and sensitive position within the population structure for several reasons. The Nigerian law for example recognizes that an individual below the age of seven is incapable of committing a crime and an individual between seven and twelve years should be able to know what he ought not to do that is if it can be proved he doesn't know and he also isn't criminally responsible for his acts. Between the ages of twelve and seventeen, a person is regarded as a juvenile, and while he may be held responsible for his acts or omissions, he is treated specially under the law by the Children and Young Persons Act instead of the Criminal Procedure Act.
Statistics have shown that drug barons prefer recruiting their traffickers from the ages of 15 to 35 years, most of whom are either unskilled, unschooled or students or the unemployed. There are several factors, which can influence the abuse of drugs among youths. The major ones are: peer pressure, weak parental control, child abuse, imitation, emotional stress, truancy among students, the availability of the drugs and the ineffectiveness of the laws on drug trafficking.
Types of Drugs Abused by Youth:
Several types of drugs are susceptible to abuse by youth. These drugs range from most common and less expensive such as cigarettes and alcohol to expensive and more deadly such as cocaine and heroin.
Cigarettes - these are drugs easily available to youth. They are classified as drugs because the contain nicotine and it has physical and psychological effects on the body. Cigarettes are addictive and they cause lung disorders such as cancer.
Alcohol - Beer, wine, brandy and spirits are in the drug category mainly because of their chemical contents and potential for addiction. Alcohol has a toxic and sedative effect on the body and is available without prescription. It is a central nervous system depressant and its consumption can cause a number of marked changes in behaviour.
Caffeine - This is usually abuse through the excessive chewing of cola-nut or concentrated coffee. It is the active ingredient of coffee, tea and some bottled beverages.
Marijuana - Also popularly called Indian hemp, is a drug that contains tetrahydrocannabinol, (THC) which determines its potency varying from 0.2% to 20%. It is a hallucinogenic stimulant, and is usually produced locally.
Hydrocarbons - Glue, gasoline, cleaning solutions, varnish, paint thinners, nail polish remover, and lighter fluids, all distilled from petroleum and natural gas, belong to the class of hydrocarbons. They are usually inhaled or sniffed.
Cocaine - Cocaine is one of the most potent stimulants of natural origin. It is extracted from the leaves of the coca plant grown in the Andean highlands of South America. Illicit cocaine is usually distributed as a white crystalline powder, often diluted by a variety of ingredients. The drug is usually administrated by snorting through the nasal passages.
Crack - This is a street name for a chemical directive of cocaine in hard, crystalline lumps. It is heated and inhaled as a stimulant. Youth usually go for this because it is less expensive than cocaine
Heroin: Heroin was first synthesized from morphine with a bitter taste. Illicit heroin may vary in both form and color, from white to dark brown. Heroin is about three times more potent than morphine, and it is readily available in Nigeria.
The danger of drug abuse has been defined as "a state of periodic or chronic intoxication, detrimental to the individual and society, of a drug." The major indication of drug addition is the irresistible desire to take drugs by any means.
Physical dependence manifests itself when drug intake is decreased or stopped resulting in withdrawal syndrome, which leads to a very distressing experience. Psychological dependence is experienced when an abuser relies on a drug to produced feeling of well being.
In conclusion it is important to reiterate the dangers of drug abuse in general and to youth involved in it.
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Comments
What are you Talking about?! katie | Jun 23rd, 2007
Okay. Wow. Um, First: The Types of Drugs abused by Youths. You list lots, but where did you get your refrences from. Not just Crack, and Pot, Heorine, and Booze and Ciggarettes.
Please, lets not be nieve. If you want to say how bad drug abuse is among youths you might as well be completely honest and upfront.
You left out Meth, Mushrooms, Ecstacy, Painkillers..
Look man, im a full blown drug addict. I just got out of rehab, im only fourteen about to turn fifteen.
I agree, its a serious problem. But you, like most everyone on this website, go on about how HORRIBLE something is, but you never actually Act on it. How many drug addict youths do you think access this website, or busy working mothers?
Not many, Rarely any. Im on here, and thats about it.
You need to get some more refrences, some more knowledge about drugs used by youth and re write this article and send it to like Oprah or Dr.Phil or something. Thanks. BYE.
-katie.
Oklahoma Drug Rehab nits | Mar 19th, 2009
Oklahoma drug treatment programs differ in the actual alcohol rehab services they provide and the patients the alcohol rehab program treats. There are federally funded alcohol rehab programs in Oklahoma for those people that are financially challenged, alcohol rehabilitation programs in Oklahoma for adults and adolescents and Oklahoma alcohol rehabs for those persons with private insurance and an ability to pay for a private alcohol rehabilitation program.
http://tigurl.org/kovam2
drug treatment vandana | May 7th, 2010
Drug addiction is a very serious problem worldwide. There are various categories of drugs that pose harm to physical and mental health of an individual. Substance abuse like cocaine, heroine, and marijuana may leads to death. It creates an impact on family and society as well. Drug treatment centers may offer a solution for addicts to eliminate physical dependency. But there is a need of awareness among each individual to understand the harm caused by drug addiction.
Drug Addiction Drug Addiction | Jun 24th, 2010
Nowadays drug and alcohol abuse has been very common problem in teens and adults. Drug addiction not only causes physical diseases but also create behavioral, emotional and psychological problems in addicts. Drugs make the people physical dependent. It has been researched that youth involved in chemical substance abuse are unable to take right decisions and dealing with obstacles of life. Addicts can join rehabs to get drug free life.
http://tigurl.org/dtcewmProblems-in-Teens/Drugs-and-Alcohol-Abuse.html
addiction rehabs anya tomar | Sep 16th, 2011
Thanks for giving such essential information. Its sounds bad but true that today most of the teenagers are engaging in critical issues of various types of harmful drug addiction such as caffeine, cocaine and heroin but Cigarettes are most popular amongst the youth. Today numbers of teens drug rehabs are providing best treatment facilities at low cost. These rehab arrange different types of treatments according to patient such as outpatient treatment, inpatient treatment etc.
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