Drug addiction, also known as substance–use disorder, refers to the dangerous and excessive intake of legal and illegal drugs. This leads to many behavioral changes in the person as well as affects brain functions. Drug addiction includes abusing alcohol, cocaine, heroin, opioid, painkillers, and nicotine, among others. Drugs like these help the person feel good about themselves and induce ‘dopamine’ or the happiness hormone. As they continue to use the drug, the brain starts to increase dopamine levels, and the person demands more. Addiction of drugs has become one of the serious social problems in many developing as well as developed countries and it undeniably proves to be the principal obstruction in the all-around development of the people, society, country, and the world at a large. Our country is a progressing country and it is already afflicted with so many other grave problems, such as unemployment, poverty, and illiteracy that the problem of drug abuse makes the situation even worse here as it further makes our economy regressive by destroying the lives of its youth. Drug addiction has severe consequences. Some of the signs include anxiety, paranoia, increased heart rate, and red eyes. They are intoxicated and unable to display proper coordination and have difficulty remembering things. A person who is addicted cannot resist using them and is unable to function correctly without ingesting them. It causes damage to the brain, their personal and professional relationships. It affects mental cognition; they are unable to make proper decisions, cannot retain information, and make poor judgments. They tend to engage in reckless activities such as stealing or driving under the influence. They also make sure that there is a constant supply and are willing to pay a lot of money even if they are unable to afford it and tend to have erratic sleep patterns . Even sadder is the fact that several drug addicts cannot afford to make a purchase of expensive drugs so much so that in the end they have to resort to such activities as theft in their homes. These people are not born thieves, but their addiction to drugs makes them heinous and propels them to commit crimes in order to feed their body with drugs Drug abuse is considered one of the banes of our so called civilized society. It has affected all the sections and regions of our society. People with the illicit use of drug are found everywhere, i.e. in urban and rural regions, among men and women, among rich and poor.
But it is exceedingly practiced by our young girls and boys living in hostels in nearly all technical and educational institutions.
In certain hostels attached to education institutions, students have none but their classmates to accompany them. Instead of taking this opportunity to study some teenagers get induced and resort to addictions like smoking and alcohol. Once the habit is cultivated they are prone to take other addictive drugs. Not everyone is able to adjust to newer places, eating habits, and patterns of working. Some students do not fare well in their studies which makes them distance away from studious friends. They then try to vent their frustration by going for addiction and bad company. People who have relocated to far-off places in pursuit of jobs and are put up in hostels become depressed if they do not get the job of their choice. In addition, the stress of peer pressure, competition, promotion, and odd working hours create a lot of turmoil within themselves. Such moments force persons with weaker resolutions into a bad company who ultimately give in to addiction. Drug addiction issue has penetrated the interiors of every town in the world. Unfortunately enough, some places which were once considered safe for the overall development of students and teenagers have become a breeding spot for the activities such as drug addiction. This includes educational institutions and hostels. Occasionally we have to migrate to other parts of the town or country to get access to better workplaces or education institutions. The wish to be progressive in life makes us to leave our relatives and friends. But do we, in actual practice, care for our own developments after we have left our hometown, this is the question every drug addict should ask themselves.
( The author is pursuing B.Sc Nursing at Deash Bhaght University Mandi Gobindgarh Punjab. Views are his own)
