HEALTH IMPLICATIONS
Drugs are effective substances in the life of living things primarily designed for therapeutic purposes to cure sicknesses and eliminate ill health. As beneficial as drugs are for healthy living, so many people, especially youths are experimenting with it to achieved expectations beyond the prescribed purposes. This is very harmful to organs in the body.
The concern over Drug abuse among youths is a major problem facing the world today. The trend in drug use among youths has become more complex and thus difficult to understand, requiring serious attention. In recent time, the rate at which youths in higher institutions abuse drugs has been so alarming and worrisome. Several youths that ought to be in schools are currently in psychiatric hospitals and Rehabilitation Centres in Nigeria, undergoing treatments for the consequences of drug abuse. Statistics has shows that the number of youth suffering from insanity as a result of drug abuse is more than that of the old people in Nigeria. Age of initiation to drug abuse is at a tender age of between 10 to 25 years.
DRUG USE DEFINED
DRUGS: Natural or synthetic substances which when taken into a living body affect it functioning and is used in diagnosis, mitigation, treatment, and prevention of disease. There are both legal and illegal drugs.
PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES. Any substance that affect mental process when taken into the system, e.g cognitions, Mood, perception, sensations and thoughts.
DRUG MISUSE. This occur when you intentionally adjust the dose of prescribed drugs to suit your personal purposes.
DRUG ABUSE. Excessive, inappropriate, and unwarranted use of drugs without Doctor’s prescription by a person in order to get ‘high’ or enhance performance.
DRUG ADDICTION. Recurrent or habitual use of drugs or substances for over 12 months, resulting in inability to live a normal life without it.
Drug abuse usually results in Drug addiction and drug dependence when it persists unchecked.

COMMONLY ABUSED DRUGS AMONG YOUTHS IN NIGERIA AND HEALTH IMPLICATIONS

(1) ALCOHOL: There are youths who drink too much alcohol regularly resulting in Alcoholism.
Health Implications. High blood pressure, Heart Failure, Renal Failure, Memory loss, Mental disability, Dependency Syndromes, Peptic Ulcer Diseases, Recurrent body weakness, Reflex vomiting and diarrhea, Liver Cirrhosis.
(2) CANABIS (MARIJUANA): It is the most popular illicit drug consumed in Nigeria. ( NDLEA, 2014). It has euphoric, mood altering, mood enhancing effect. Increase sexual urge but result in impotent with time. Some smoke it, other cook with food adding ethanol to it.
Health Implications: Increase Heart Rate and Blood Pressure; Increase blood flow to the eyes giving a red eye appearance; increase risk of testicular Cancer; Mental Disorders- wandering, toxic psychosis, Hallucinations, disorientation; tendency to criminal activities; Violence, Stealing, Anti-social behaviours/ activities- overspeeding when driving resulting in Road Traffic Accident; accidental injuries including drowning, poisoning, fall from an height; premeditated injuries- suicide; child abuse homicides, rape, interpersonal violence. Respiratory disorders- laryngitis, asthma, bronchitis, pharyngitis; Risk of cancers of the Lung; Kidney, Heart, and Liver Challenges
Glaucoma resulting in blindness.
Mouth ordour.
(3) COCAINE. A stimulant. Use as local anesthetics by Doctors before it was badly abused. Addict inject it into the veins, or snort it via the nose.
Health implications. Bleeding via the Noce; Chronic conditions of the nasal cavities; Bowel Gangrene- Reduced blood flow; Liver, Kidney and Heart Failures. Risky Sexual behaviours- sex with strangers; sex with multiple sexual partners, sex without protections, unwanted pregnancies, abortions, risk of Sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS. Increase risk of blood- borne- Diseases.
(4) HEROIN. Illegal drug made from morphine.
Health Implications. Malfuntioning brain; Liver, Kidney and Heart Disorders, RESTLESSNESS.

(5) VALIUM: Central Nervous System Depressant. Muscle Relaxant
Health implications of abuse. Sleep disturbance, Dizziness, Nervousness, Confusion, Urinary retention, Dizziness.
Other drugs regularly abuse by youths are. Morphine, Amphitamine, Percocet, Vicodin, Pemoline, Hallucinogens, oxyticin, tobacco, caffeine in tea.
Drug abuse generally saps both physical and intellectual vitality, leading to reduced productivity in work and academic pursuits.
Brain Damage is one major consequence of drug abuse among youth. This ranges from serious mental disorders to permanent, irreversible conditions resulting in brain shrinkage, impaired learning abilities, amnesia, memory loss, impaired reasoning, perception and intuition.
CURRENT TREND IN DRUGS USE AMONG YOUTHS IN NIGERIA
In the quest for further experimentation with drugs, vibrant youths of Nigeria have recently discover new set of over- the-counter drugs to abuse. These are:
(A) COUGH SYRUP WITH CODEINE. This is typically use as cough suppressant. Youths have turned it to a drug to get ‘high’. The cough syrup is readily available on the counter of patient- store making it’s abuse widespread and significant. However, the danger of overdosing on codeine far outweigh the short period of euphoria it offers. Codeine being an opioid, affect almost every organs in the body.
Health Implications. Heart Block, Cardiac Arrest, Exessive Sedations, Rspiratory depression, Respiratory collapse and death. Liver- Drug indused Hepatoxicity. Paralytic ilues. Bowel Obstruction. Mental depression

(B) TRAMADOL. A drug for pain relief. Youth now mix its overdose with alcohol and ingest to prolong sexual intercourse and delay ejaculation. Overdose is associated with Brain damage; Liver ,kidney and Heart disorders.
(C) POLY DRUG USE. Combine traditional drugs, prescription drugs, alcohol and new psychoactive substsances ( cocain or heroin).
(D) INCREASE IN INJECTING DRUGS. This include herion , pentazocine, ketamine as mostly injected drugs among youths.
FACTORS PREDISPOSING YOUTHS TO DRUG ABUSE
1) PEER GROUP INFLUENCE
2) CURIOUSITY
3) ENVIRONMENTAL PRESSURE
4) PROMOTION AND AVAILABILITY
5) FAMILY INFLUENCE/BACKGROUNG
6) EMOTIONAL AND ACADEMIC STRESS
7) FRUSTRATION
NEEDS FOR BRAIN CHARGE/ SENSATION
9) SEACH FOR DREADFUL APPEARANCE AND IDENTITY.
Are your already been tempted to go into drug abuse?. Perhaps you are in it already. Please seek help. The university has a functional Social welfare and medical guidance and counseling unit with well trained personnel to assist you get out of it and ensure maximum confidentiality. Kindly visit the unit for help.

CONCLUSION
You are the future leaders of our nation. There is urgent need to safeguard your future against drug abuse and its attendant consequences. My candid advice to the youth of this generation is to be at alert and be ready to say ‘NO’ to drug abuse. There are students around you planning to introduce hard drugs to you. You need to say to yourself . “I CAN MAKE IT WITHOUT DRUG ABUSE”. Regardless of the intensity of peer pressure on you, please, don’t yield. Don’t compromise. The momentary pleasure derive from drug abuse is too little compared with the grave repercussion of a mortgaged future. You will surely make it. Amen.


DR.O. S. ONAWUMI
Ag. DMS

Seun
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