Drug addiction, called as substance use disorder, is a neurobiological or psychological disease that affects a person’s brain and behavior and leads to an inability to control the use of drugs, as such causes a person to take drugs repeatedly despite the harm they cause. Though drug abuse may start with experimental use but when you are addicted you may continue using the drug despite the harm it causes. As the time passes, you may need larger doses of the drug and at one stage you may find that it’s increasingly difficult to go without the drug.
Addiction is a chronic neurological disorder that involves the limbic cortico-striatal neural networks of the brain. During chronic drug exposure, there is a progressive neurobiological adaptation that promotes a loss of control over drug-seeking behaviour.
Signs and symptoms of drug use or intoxication may vary, depending on the type of drug. Though alcohol and nicotine are also considered drugs, but there so many other drugs as marijuana or cannabis (Locally known as “Bhang”), hashish, methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin and other stimulants including anti-anxiety medications.
The common signs of drug addiction include loss of control, urge to use more and more of the drugs, spending less time on activities, serious changes or deterioration in hygiene or physical appearance, withdrawal symptoms such as shakiness-trembling-sweating-nausea or fatigue etc.
Aside from overdose, there are many adverse effects of drug addiction which may include cardiovascular diseases, contraction of HIV, hepatitis, heart attack, respiratory problems such as lung cancer-emphysema and breathing problems, abdominal problems, kidney & liver damage, seizures-stroke and brain damage, pancreatitis, gastrointestinal problems, insomnia and sleep disorders etc.
Drug addiction apart from damaging the health of any individual, in many cases is instrumental in damaging the social fiber as also the family life and is looked upon as a stigma. The near and dears especially family members can play a vital role and help the individual to get out of addiction by family resilience observed to be effective in reducing alcohol and drug use. The family members can be better counselors and may also play a key role in the actual treatment process by bringing an “unwilling” individual in treatment net and could also be integral part throughout the entire course of the treatment of substance use disorders at any of drug de-addiction centers.
There are number of such drug de-addiction centers run in each state under Drug De-Addiction Programme (DDAP) as the constitution of India, under Article 47, enjoins that the state shall endeavor to bring about prohibition of the consumption of intoxicating drinks and drugs, which are injurious to health, but in Jammu & Kashmir a full fledged Forensic Norco Division has not been established yet in spite of court directions. The Police department is also running drug de-addiction centers where the addicts are provided treatment and guided by rigorous and constant attention to treatment steps. There are some centers which are also known as Rehab centers or Nasha Mukti Kenderas, but against out of about 8000 centers to be established, there are only about 1500 centers so far.
Apart from role of family members, it becomes a moral and social duty of every responsible citizen to help such individuals as also to pass on any information regarding drug peddlers etc to police and narcotics department so that action can be taken to have a check on the menace.
Let all of us resolve to fulfill our social duty.
