Substance Abuse has become a serious issue and concern to the moden society. The menace of substance abuse cuts across all strata of the society. The damage caused by Substance Abuse is colossal that unless something is done and urgently too, it is capable of submerging the society.
For those who have not been following my series on this topic, let me attempt a definition of Substance Abuse.
Substance Abuse may be defined as the inappropriate use of drugs and other substances in such a way that may cause harm to the abuser[@nokas] Substance Abuse involves the use of psychoactive drugs such as narcotics,alcohol, tobacco, heroine, cocaine etc.
Today,many other substances are bein g used as psychoactive drugs such as tramadol, Phenergan Syrup, Colorado etc,
The socioeconomic effects far more outweigh the physical effects.
While the physical impact affect the individual and to a certain extent members of the family, the socioeconomic impact on the society is quiver riding and mitigatory effort against substance abuse have never yielded any result. What then are the effects of Substance aabuse!
The impact of substance abuse on the individual is staggering and enormous.
Substance Abuse destroys the individual segmentally and systemically.
- Loss of Concentration on any given Task
Psychoactive drugs have serious effect on the brain including perception, retention, and concentration. This is serious as the person may not be useful to himself let alone the family. - Poor Academic Performance
With loss of Concentration, follows poor academic performance. Eventually, this leads to drop out. - Loss of job
With loss of concentration and apathy, loss of job becomes inevitable. Sometimes, it's even the person that gradually stops going to work. - Loss of relationship
Birds of the same feather fetch together. The drug addict finds solace only among drug addicts. He separates himself from friends,relatives and family members. Eventually loosing all forns of relationship including divorce. - Loss of personal hygiene
The drug is no longer interested in any thing other than drugs. He becomes Schizophrenic and is no longer able to take care of himself. - Takes to Stealin and other social vices
With no means of income and with intense desire for drugs,the drug addict adopts every measure to satisfy his desire. - Psychosis
Most drugs addicts end up psychotic and end up picking trash and some commit suicide.
The members of drug addiction, parents, spouse, and children suffer untold emotional, psychological, and financial trauma.
- Members of the family suffer from the serious side effects of the drug addict: when the person is ''high" he becomes a threat to the family. When the succeed momentarily to stop him from taking drugs, the depression that results becomes un bearable and unmanageable.
- Destructive and violent Tendency
This causes anxiety and distress the members of the family. - Loss of property and money
The intense desire to have drugs can force the drug addict to start stealing and usually he starts from the family. In some instances family property including electronics, cloths and other household items are lost. - Financial burden
The Substance abuser may have lost their job and become completely dependent on the members of the family, thus putting pressure on the family. - Loss of respect and honour in the Community both for the person and members of the family.
- Pressure on the Spouse
If the person is married, he/she abandons all family responsibility to the spouse including taking care of the children and financial responsibility. - Effect on the Children
Because of lack of care for the children, most of them may follow the foot step of the parents; some of them may even join cults thus putting more pressure on the society.
The family of the drug abuse bears most of the burden of drug abuse internally and externally and often they get frustrated and leave everything in the hands of God.
According to report on substance abuse, Nigeria situation has continued to worsen. It is reported that there is rising drug use in Nigeria,noting that as at 2019, research showsed that 14.3 million Ngerians between 15 and 64 years engage in drug use
According to the report instead of the expected 11%increase number of drugs in the global number of drugs used by 2030, the proportion is 40% in Nigeria and the whole of Africa
The burden of substance abuse in Nigeria is enormous as it cuts across all strata of the society including the military, police and politicians. In USA, the budgetary allocation to control substance abuse is shown below:
The annual budgetary allocation for the control of drug abuse as seen above is very colossal. This amount of money can be used to build industries where the youths can be profitably engaged.
This amount of money does not include the money spent by the Government in prosecuting drug traffickers and offenders. It also does not include the amount of money spent to feed drug offenderin various correctional facilities across the country.
Although no data is available to show how much is spent by the federal government of Nigeria, it is obvious that do much money is spent to check drug abuse in view of the fact that Nigeria is gateway for drug trafficking.
The cumulative amount of money spent to control drug trafficking and substance abuse is unquantifiable and drains so much from the already weak and fragile economy.
The social impact of substance abuse portends grave danger to the society.
- School drop out
The number of school drop out will certainly take to crime - Social unrest
- Increase in criminality
We have more incidence of insecurity than ever before. - Unemployment
Drug abusers drop out of school and without skill and remain unemployeable. - sexual violence
There have been increased incidence of sexual violence in recent time. UNICEF reports that 1 in 4 Nigerian girls are sexually assaulted before the age of 18 years. Another report confirms that in 2020, there were 126,430 reported cases of rape in the United States
Most cases of sexual violence and abuse result from drug abuse. - Teenage Pregnancy
Substance use among adolescents increases the risk of unplanned pregnancies, which then increases the risk of fetal exposure to addictive, teratogenic substances - Peer Pressure
One of the best and simplest definitions of peer pressure is the one given by Mariam Webster; A feeling that one must do the same things as other people of one's age and social group in order to be liked or respected by them
Peer pressure is the most worrisome aspect of substance abuse as every growing adolescent and adult would like to associate. Peer pressure is the primary reason why substance abuse is interactable.
Substance abuse is spreading like wide fire in harmattan season. It is threatening to consume the society. Something must be done and urgently. Watch out for the fourth series.
The side effects of drug abuse cannot be over emphasized.... I just wish the youths will learn and abstain from it
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