Consult any elderly person in your community on the abuse of drugs by youth and offer solutions
to the drug problems
Young people who persistently abuse substances often experience an arrary of problems
according to Mafukidze James chairperson of youths in ward 12 sakubva Mutare these
includes academic difficulties ,health related problems (including mental health) poor peer
relationships ,and involvement with the juvenile justice system , consequences for family
members ,poor judgment ,sexual activity and drug depend .this write up shall focus on these
and solutions to drug problems
Abuse of drugs
Youth
Academics difficulties
Declining grades ,absenteeism from school and other activities and increased potential for
dropping out of school are problems associated with youth drug abuse .chairperson of youth
indicated that a low level of commitment to education and higher truancy rates appear to be
related to drug abuse among youths Cognitive and behavioral problems experienced by drugs
using youth may interfere with their academic performance and also present obstacles to
learning for their classmates
Mental health
Mental health problems such as depression developmental lags, apathy ,withdrawal and other
psychosocial dysfunction frequently are linked to drugs among youths .drug abusing
youths are at higher risk than nonusers for mental health problems ,including
depression ,conduct problems ,personality disorder ,suicidal thoughts attempted suicides and
suicide . Marijuana use, which is prevalent among youth ,has been shown to interfere with
short term memory, learning and pschosexual\emotional development also may be influenced
.
Physical health
Injuries due to accidents such as car accidents .physical disabilities and diseases and the
effects of possible overdoses are among the health related consequences of youths drug
abuse. Disproportionate numbers of youth involved with drugs face an increased risk of death
through suicide, homicide and illness. Transmission of HIV \AIDS primarily occurs through
exposure to body fluids of an infected person during sexual contact or through sharing of
unsterile drug injection equipment. Many substance abusing youth engage in behaviour that
places them at risk of contracting HIV/AIDS or other sexually transimitted diseases. This
may include the actual use of psychoactive substances .
Peers
Substances abusing youth often are alienated from and stigmatized by their
peers .Adolescents using alcohol and community activities depriving their peers and
communities of the positive contribution they might otherwise have made
Youth,drugs and crime
With numerous topical research studies emerging new light is being shed on the relationship
between drugs and crime .Although the relationship between drugs and crime is
complex ,research has brought forward relevant knowledge allowing practitioners and policy
–makers to design frameworks and programing that address the risk factors for drug abuse
delinquency as they often overlap.
Families
In addition to personal advertise ,the abuse of drugs by youths may result in family crisis and
jeopardize many aspects of family life, sometimes result in family dysfunction both parents
and siblings are profoundly affected by drugs
Solutions to drug abuse
Addressing addiction is not a moral failure or weakness of will within individual addicted
people , but rather addiction is rooted in a lack of community and meaningful connections to
others .Stigmatizing attitudes toward addiction have consistently proven ineffective at
reducing drug abuse. Drug addiction is considered a mental illness, and those who suffer
from this problem deserve nonjudgmental respect and courtesy when trying to get them help
they need. Basing awareness and intervention programs on showing compassion for those
who struggling will go a long way to creating a real change ,while programs that are more
punitive and stigmatising have historically been colossal failures . For this reason, its critical
to look at programming that’s based on sound research and driven by evidence from that
research, rather than from fear and propaganda.
The good news practitioners is that a large number of school –based drug prevention
programs have been evaluated. this is not say that there isn’t a need to raise the rigor of
evaluation and conduct more meta analyses and systematic review ,but rather that good work
has been done in this field has provided concrete , attainable processes and strategies program
practitioners to follow. According to the chairperson of youth, this section outlines some key
lessons in mind in implementing youth drug prevention programs
Finally, because drug usage is often a complex problem, many parents find outside
profesional support is essential . Trained and experienced family physicians or psychologists
in the treatment of teenage substance use are the best source of help .Though the road to
success and drug free living is sometimes painfully long and difficult chairperson of youth
said they have witnessed many successes
