Say no to drugs

Dear Editor,
Drugs can quickly take over our lives. Drugs are chemicals that change the way a person’s body or mind works. Drugs are not good for health as they have many side-effects and damage our brain, heart and other important organs.
Drugs are depressants that slow down the functions of the central nervous system. Drugs are consumed in different ways: by inhaling, ingesting, injecting, applying on skin, and smoking. When a person is addicted to a drug, the drug becomes so important that the person cannot live without it. Drug use age leads to academic failure and poor social skills.
In spite of knowing the harmful effects of drugs, people spend lots of money on them and consume them to forget their worries & sorrows and to seek happiness. Once a person is addicted, it is very hard to stop taking drugs. The person’s behavior tend to self-destructive activities and it becomes harder to think clearly and make good decisions. Youth take drugs due to various reasons. When one see sudden changes in an adolescent’s behavior, like aggression or hostility for no apparent reason– it should be a wake-up call for the parents. Carelessness in daily grooming habits, decline in academic performance, missing classes, loss of interest in favourite activities, changes in eating or sleeping habits, deteriorating relations with family members and friends, spending or asking for more pocket money, signs of syringes or unknown medicine strips are some of the signs of substance abuse and one should take it seriously. Parents need to recognise that their child is not behaving as he or she normally does. If he is taking drugs, then they should find out the underlying cause for this. There could also be an associated mental health or medical disorder.
Ashu Magotra,
Jammu.