Drug addiction is harmful, but it can be fought. Fight it
Karuna Bector

Raman (23) is a drug addict. It started five years back when he took to phensedyl in hostel. This brilliant engineering student then gradually took to smack for more kicks. Curiosity, combined with peer pressure, entangled him in the vicious cycle of drugs. Unable to complete his degree course, he remains isolated today. A bright career cut short.

Kartar Singh (60) took to alcohol when he lost his wife and son in the 1984 riots to overcome the feelings of loneliness, depression, and insecurity. Now, he suffers from serious health problems (TB, liver damage).

Gita (32), housewife, is addicted to proxyvon, taking 10-12 capsules a day. It was first prescribed when she was suffering from acute stomachache. As she realised that it gave her sound sleep, she indulged in self-medication, increasing the dose on her own. Her reason for addiction is family tension, though it is no different from the others. A sensitive woman, she finds it difficult to cope with day-to-day problems.

Jaswinder Singh took to alcohol under peer pressure and due to easy availability of money. He often resorted to abusing his wife and children in an inebriated condition. Over-expenditure on alcohol and loss of job led to a disturbed family life and financial crisis. Guilty of his behaviour, today he is determined to leave drugs.

All of them are undergoing treatment at the Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, Chandigarh (names of the patients changed).

A talk with the addicts revealed that they all realise that drugs are self-destructive. This escapism has crushed their confidence and insulted their near and dear ones in society.

Prof B. S. Chavan, Head of the Psychiatry Department, GMCH-32, says, "A number of reasons lead to drug abuse. They could be peer pressure, curiosity and urge of experimentation, for pleasure, association with other drug addicts, easy availability of drugs, stress and strain due to unsolved problems, unemployment, idleness, family disharmony, close proximity to alcoholics, etc. "

It has been observed that mostly individuals in the age group of 16 to 25 years fall prey to drugs, mainly due to peer pressure. Addicts instigate their friends to take to drugs, assuring them of the pleasure derived thereof and convince them that it is trendy and the in thing. This way, addicts try to support their habit by taking money from them.

First-time users may not necessarily go for it again, but most of them are trapped. It is also seen that consuming alcohol is culturally accepted in the North. There are chances that an alcoholic might try other drugs to get more kicks, though there is no connection between excessive drinking and taking other drugs.

More number of boys go for it than girls, the reason being social norms.

The next main factor is easy availability of drugs. It is evident that people get addicted to drugs that are available at almost every street corner.

Professor Chavan says, "An addict starts with a small quantity of drugs whenever he is unable to deal with physical or emotional pain. Under its influence, he tries to escape reality for the time being as it reduces his level of consciousness. This continues and then the virtual solution of every problem lies in taking drugs. He keeps increasing the dose in spite of deteriorating health."

Drugs like heroin, morphine, smack (unrefined heroin), cannabis, etc. affect the chemistry of brain cells. It is natural that in the long run, they will get used to that altered chemistry which results in impairment of memory, impaired judgement and impaired social and occupational functioning.

All drugs are metabolised by the liver, thereby putting undue pressure on the organ and ultimately, damaging it. The commonest example of this is alcohol abuse which is the predominant cause of the cirrhosis of the liver.

Another corollary of this menace is the use of semi- or unsterile needles and syringes by the individual addict or the group of addicts. Drugs injected using unsterile needles usually lead to venous clotting. A part of the clot may get detached and travel in the body, leading to blockage of blood vessels, further leading to disastrous results such as heart attack or paralysis.

Intravenous (IV) drug users also have a high risk of suffering from AIDS, hepatitis and other infections.

Dr Suresh Kumar, Senior Lecturer, GMCH-32, says alcohol and tobacco cause the maximum physical damage to the body system. Taking tobacco leads to lung cancer, heart disease and hypertension.

Excessive alcohol intake causes liver disease and makes the victim physically weak. It is also responsible for violent behaviour and road accidents.

He says drugs affect the psychological, social, marital and family life of the addicts. Changes in behaviour are noticed among the drug addicts. They are socially irresponsible.

They think about nothing except their next dose and resort to stealing and lying to arrange money for it. Often restless and irritable, they end up staying aloof, away from family, friends and work.

A change is also noticed in their eating and sleeping habits.

Professor Chavan says that drug abuse causes a sense of well-being (euphoria) for an addict. He feels relieved of pain and depression and overcomes his feelings of insecurity under its influence. At this stage, his knowledge of ill-effects of drugs may not change his behaviour as he has already developed this irrational way of coping with his problems.

The fear of withdrawal symptoms such as body aches, headaches, body tremors, muscle twitching, uncontrolled craving for drugs, anxiety, restlessness, blackouts makes him incapable of resistance against drugs.

According to Dr Kumar, "The biggest obstacle in the treatment is the patient’s denial of his habit of taking drugs. His active participation along with the help of family and friends is a must for positive results.

"The treatment focuses on the patient’s abstinence from drugs, reintegration into the mainstream and amelioration of withdrawal symptoms. However, it can be broadly classified into three categories — motivation and enhancement, detoxification and relapse prevention."

Initially, the doctor educates the patient about drugs and at the same time tries to extract the associated problem that led to addiction, which may be depression, schizophrenia, sexual problem, identity crisis, so on.

In detoxification, the patient undergoes medication. During its course if he take drugs it either leads to some kind of reaction in the body or the drugs lack kick. Relapse prevention process involves mostly counselling of the addict along with medication.

The first three months during the treatment are very crucial as there are chances that the patient will quit the deaddiction centre and return to old habits. However, the chances of relapse decrease in the next 5-6 months and after a year, it is minimum.

There is also a fear of his adopting another drug after stopping the drug he was addicted to. He needs to be taught new ways of coping with his problems. Here the supportive role of family and friends is essential.

Nearly 30-40 per cent patients recover in the first go. The rest are likely to improve on persistent attempts at treatment, says the doctor.

There is no fixed duration of treatment and recovery of patients. It is a life-long process in which family and friends must act as catalysts in helping the addict develop a comfortable drug-free life.

The doctors advise the family members to try and keep the patient busy at home after being discharged from hospital.

But this does not mean he should be burdened with extra responsibilities. He is already going through a stressful phase and his mind is in a state of constant agitation. At this hour, he strongly needs their support.

Dr Kumar says that he should not be suspected at every other point like if he is lazy or tired or has redness in eyes. This may provoke him to go back to drugs. But care should be taken not to leave him alone for long hours and never stuff his pocket with money.

Medicines must be given to him on time as prescribed by the doctor and here he must not be trusted. Strict supervision is essential.

There are chances of relapse of treated addicts. They may be due to his lack of will power or non-cooperation or carelessness on the part of family and friends.

But if he is back to hospital willingly after a short period of time after relapse, it is an achievement. He must be encouraged and supported instead of being abused.

So it is wrong to say once an addict, always an addict.

Cocaine more likely to hook women: study
Amelia Hill

Female drug addicts experience more excessive highs than men and may become addicted more easily, according to the largest-ever research project into gender susceptibility to cocaine.

In a discovery that has shocked professionals and may overturn current practices of prevention and treatment of addiction, the project also found that women using cocaine are less likely to suffer the same cardiovascular damage as men.

"The findings are the same for cocaine, amphetamines and alcohol: women consistently react differently than men to these drugs, depending where they are in their cycle,' said Dr Vanya Quinones-Jenab, who has devoted the past 10 years to researching the difference gender makes to drug addiction.

"At a certain point it seems likely that drugs will be more addictive to women than they are to men."

Dr Quinones-Jenab found that monthly fluctuations in female hormone levels dramatically affect the influence of drugs on the user.

At the point of ovulation, women are far more susceptible to both addiction and extreme reactions than men. "If you’re accustomed to using coke, you’ll find different doses are needed from one day to the next to get the same high," said Dr Quinones-Jenab, Head of the Department of Psychology at the City University of New York, who will publish her 114-page findings in the New York Academy of Sciences Annals.

She added, "Women are going to adopt a far more chaotic pattern of drug use than the men, and this could easily lead to addiction and even accidental overdose."

Around a third of all addicts are women, and Dr Quinones-Jenab is critical of the treatment they receive. Observer News Service