Drug Addiction

Nowadays, drug abuse is a very common problem faced by people, especially our youth. Unfortunately, this issue has increased over the passage of time and is inclining at a very high rate. This has proven to be a very serious issue which isn’t given the required attention. Measures need to be taken to eradicate this problem from the society. Drug addiction/abuse has been the cause of many deaths (mainly teenage deaths). Addiction of drugs has ruined relations, families and careers. People start off by taking drugs for fun usually, without experiencing any sort of negative effects at that point in time but later develop a habit of it; which they find extremely difficult to give up. Drug addiction to heroin, cocaine and marijuana is most common.

There are many reasons which have lead to drug addiction, and peer pressure is one of the most important causes. Peer pressure in a society is building up along with increasing the victims it affects. Drugs are also readily available for anyone, and easy access is also one of the reasons for this increased trend. Friends and family have an influence on an individual and result in the person making decisions under their shadows. Many drug addicts explain how their father’s or brother’s drug addiction was the reason they got into this.  Negligence from loved ones also results in an individual getting attracted to this, and later getting addicted. Depression and anxiety are very common disorders found amongst people. Such disorders result in the person adopting any substance which provides them relief, and drugs are said to be effective healers.

Many similar symptoms and signs are found amongst drug addicts. The amount of intake of a drug affects the symptoms shown by the person. A drug addict starts neglecting responsibilities and becomes forgetful. They usually become cranky and have frequent mood swings and anger outbursts, and end up in fights quiet often. Their tolerance level keeps on declining as they increase their intake. A drug addict might end up stealing or borrowing money to maintain their constant purchases. They also might frequently change friends, usually hanging out with people of their kind (addicts).  It becomes intricate for the drug addict to quit with time. Bloodshot eyes, disturbed sleeping patterns, deterioration of physical appearance, odd body odor and slurred speech are a few of the physical symptoms of drug addictions. One might notice a change in their personality or attitudes due to drug addiction.

Steps should be taken to help such people, as withdrawals can be excruciating for the person and the people around him/her. Punishing, threatening or hiding their drugs doesn’t help. They usually become rebellious and the only way to help them out is through understanding and cooperation.

Omer Saeed

SMOKING

Message from  the author :Hey Guys! How are you all doing today? Okay so let’s get down to business shall we? Our topic for discussion is Smoking and its effect on people whether they themselves smoke or not.

Defining the term: To begin with, let’s define the term. Smoking can be described as burning and inhaling tobacco through a variety of mediums with cigarettes being the most common and pipes, bongs, and hookahs also used popularly.  Smoking is an addiction which is not just specific to one gender or race. Both males and female belonging to the various ethnic backgrounds are seen to be addicted to smoking ignoring the harmful effects it has on them and their loved ones.

For the smoker, he or she would be at a greater risk of cancers of many types as well as numerous heart and lung diseases as compared to a non-smoker. Needless to say, a smoker’s life span would also be much shorter than that of a non-smoker.  As studies show, developing nations experience an increasing number of smokers as compared to developed nations which experience the opposite or decreasing numbers of smokers. Pregnant women who continue to smoke during their pregnancy period risk damaging and even losing their unborn babies in some cases. The surprising thing is that those people who are around smokers and are involuntarily passive smoking are also at the risk of developing diseases just like smokers themselves. The passive smokers would include children who look up to and imitate the actions of their elder role models and are likely to take on smoking as a habit themselves as soon as they find the opportunity to.

Reasons for popularity: We now somewhat have an idea about the evils that smoking does to society so now we shall focus on the reasons behind why people start this crazy addiction in the first place. The first reason is that smoking a cigarette is seen as a quick and easy way of relieving stress. In today’s fast moving age where everyone is racing to get ahead, stress has become a prominent part of our lives and beating it with a cigarette seems to be the fastest way to deal with it. Another reason people take up smoking is because of parental influence. The relationship between parents smoking and their children smoking is blunt: Children of active smokers are more likely to start smoking than children of nonsmokers, or children of parents who quit smoking. It is important that parents not only discourage the formation of this habit but also explain why it is dangerous and should hence not be adopted.  Another major factor for the increasing trend in the number of smokers is peer-pressure. While there are certainly other influences that can lead a smoker into the habit, peer pressure is one of the biggest. A large part of the reason peer pressure comes under scrutiny is that one of the groups most likely to begin smoking — young teenagers — is also one of the most susceptible to peer pressure.

Alright so I hope I didn’t bore you too much but the next time you light up a cigarette thinking you’re ‘cool’ you’re so not! I frankly fail to understand the charm behind smelling like a week-old ash-tray or the being the possessors of a yellow smile and even more yellow nails. Be cool by not smoking. Till next time, Cheers.

Yours truly,

-AsfandYar Khan.