Drugs- A Curse for Life

The urge to turn back time, to go

back into the past for a chance to
re-do things - for the chance to
undo mistakes - is present in
each and every one of us. But,
none more so have this very
urge, than the drug addicts
trying to get back onto the road
recovery. For it is that single
instant of weakness, that point of
hapless surrender, which leads to
an unceasing curse that ruins their lives from that moment onwards.

of

If you were asked today, about what you consider the largest cause of unnatural
deaths in Pakistan, your answer will certainly be Terrorism. Well, considering the
limited media coverage of issues like drug abuse, it will undoubtedly come as a
surprise to you that more people die from drugs, than from terrorism in Pakistan.
Thats right. Just last year, a report for the Senate Standing Committee on Interior
and Narcotics Control said that 700 people die every day from drugs, and drugs
related problems, compared to the 39 that are killed by acts of terrorism. With an
estimated 7 million addicts, the facts shouldnt be as astounding as they are. Quite
a shock isnt it, to know that despite all the various problems with security in
Pakistan, more people die from something as absurdly mundane and seemingly
trivial as drugs?

But considering drug abuse to be trivial and insignificant is perhaps the very
reason why we are now standing at this stage. It is a sad reality that youth are
especially vulnerable to such
activities as most succumb to
the influence of bad company
or indulge in drugs just to
satisfy
their
curiosity.
Whether people turn to drugs
from a need to blot out
everything that is going
wrong in their lives, or they
are pushed towards drugs by
their domineering friends, or
they look to drugs for
showing
off
their
connections and swag, the
fact remains that those
susceptible to the allure eventually do fall in. And those that do fall, are unable to
ever get up again - without help.
But where is that help to come from? Addicts are shunned from their families, from
their
friends
and
from
their
associates. They end up isolated
from society and their sole form of
support network, if it ever existed in
the first place. The utter havoc
drugs can wreck on an individuals
health, both physical and mental is
devastating. From contracting blood
borne infections such as Hepatitis,
HIV/AIDS, to increasing the risk of
the most fatal diseases known to
man,
cancer,
cardiovascular
disorders, stroke, and lung disease - the list of medical consequences of drug abuse
is much longer than the list of drugs responsible for them. And those are just the
visible ones. The psychological effects of substance abuse on an individual include
anxiety, depression, paranoia, aggression, mood swings and so much more. There is
scientific evidence that drug abuse may increase the risk of psychiatric disorders or
accelerate them.
There arent many who want to associate themselves with addicts once the stigma
of being a junkie is attached to them. Addiction only begins through repeated use
of drugs. The first step is taken by the abuser alone. So what can be done to ensure
more people dont fall victim to addiction? And what can be done for the people who
are already victims of addiction?
Given the overwhelming odds of a life that is guaranteed to be miserable once the
destructive spiral of drug abuse starts, it is no wonder why there are extensive

campaigns to promote the prevention of drug abuse. Prevention is better than cure
certainly holds true enough in this case. The single most important step is
awareness. While people do have a general idea of what substance abuse can result
in, they certainly dont know enough of the details to deter themselves from using
drugs. Youth and any other particularly susceptible age groups should be especially
targeted such that they are dissuaded from any experimentation they want to do.
Cutting off drug supply routes is an equally important task, one that the police and
Anti-Narcotics Force can accomplish through cooperation and participation of
responsible citizens.
Treatment of drug addiction is much harder. It involves proper Rehabilitation Centers
that detoxify drug users through medicines, and cut off their access to drugs. Both
private and government owned rehab centers are available in major cities in
Pakistan. But there is no rehabilitation center in the world that is good enough to
cure addiction, unless the addict doesnt want to be cured. While the effects may be
physical, addiction is very much psychological, and once someone has the will to
overcome their dependence on drugs, they can cure their addiction despite all the
hurdles in their path. It is undeniably, a hard road to traverse with numerous
difficulties on the way, yet it is not impossible.
So why take a step that you know will result in remorse and recrimination later in
life? Why take a step that you know you will regret one day down the road? Why
take a step that will return to haunt you, over and over again? Why take such a step
when you know you cant rewind your life, you cant go back in time? Knowing all of
this, would you willingly endanger your life for the sake of a few moments of the
joyful ecstasy, of the encompassing numbness of a fleeting high? No matter how
low life can lay you down, nothing and absolutely nothing can compare to low of
drug addiction. So, dont put yourself in a place where someday you will wish to turn
back time, and go back into the past for the chance to redo things, because the
laws of this world dictate that you cant undo your mistakes.