“Oh!! My child is an addict….. and I could never make out,” said Gaurav’s mom sobbingly. My friend Gaurav was just 17 years old when he died of drug addiction. I always thought why his parent never stopped him, why they never realized that he was drifting apart not only from his friends, but from family too. Perhaps they never had time to discover or by the time they could make out what went wrong; it was too late to cope up with.
“Perhaps the most chilling discovery a parent can make is that their child is a drug addict. No one would be ready for this discovery, Are you ready for this if not let’s arm ourselves with knowledge.” I feel it’s a social responsibility of every individual to share their experiences and knowledge. I take my first step here……
A child’s life today is uncertain one. Working parents may be tied to careers that demand long working hours and be out of home for a large part of day. A child is unimpressionable, vulnerable, and may not understand this abandonment to often uncaring caretakers. On other hand, parental discord and inconsistent disciplinary method may cause pressure in child’s life. Sometimes tragically, the end result of these and other factor is drug abuse on the part of the child. The most alarming thing behind Gaurav’s drug abuse; he was pressurized and depressed not just because he was overburdened with studies, also his parents were never around when he needed them the most.
Unfortunately, access to drugs is easier today then ever before. Every college and school has students who are on drugs, who know where to get them from, and who try to introduce others into drug users’ club.
It’s not easy for a parent to discover that their child abuses drugs. While the obvious indications include actual sign of drugs and drug using, including pipes and rolling papers, strange odors and clothes, and in the bedroom use of incense sticks and other deodorizers(to mask the odors);the use of eye drops, your child may not show an obvious symptoms.
Most of the immediate effects of drugs are stimulating and exhilarating, which is why addiction set so smoothly. The body, alarmingly, rapidly becomes accustomed to the levels of drug in the bloodstream, leading to a stage when the systems become dependent upon it. All the drugs (including tobacco) are broken down in the body to produce powerful substances which affect the delicate nervous system, eventually affecting the brain, heart and other organs. An addict must keep the levels of the drug up in his blood to avoid experiencing withdrawal symptoms are traumatic physically as well as mentally, both to abuse and onlooker.
How to handle such situations???
Is someone you know or love is addicted; get help as soon as possible. Early recognition as well as treatment are both essential, because addiction, like all other chronic diseases, need professional assistance.
Be patient and compassionate, Treatment aims to understand what has driven the person to drug use. It aims to understand what he/she strive for if they were not disabled by their problems. All addicts, and specially adolescents, with a drug abuse problem are not vastly different from other people and need social contact, acceptance, and self confidence. Their self perception and feeling of self worth, dignity and competence are usually impaired; Support is vital. Psychiatric counseling under a doctor’s care at a rehabilitation centre is often imperative.
Essentials: Trust and Faith
Responsible parenting will go a long way in keeping your child away from bad influences. Be around your children - or at least a phone call away, at any time. Know where they are at different times of the day. Listen to them when they talk about their concerns. Talk to them about drugs; teach them that even one dose can kill. Explain to them drugs are not that ‘cool’, no matter which handsome, albeit misguided and foolish actor/ star celebrity uses them. Teac them its not drug which make them look like that its their daily work out and balanced life which make them look what they are looking. Become their role model – give them clear, unambiguous message about alcohol. Try to understand their feelings. Get to know their friends and their friends’ parents. Inculcate family values, teaching them responsibility for their own actions. Above all be in touch with their own actions. Above all be in touch with doctor if you have any suspicions.
An alert, responsible society can work wonders to create an open, healthy atmosphere where young children and adult don’t need to take stimulants.