Menace of drug addiction

The Nation
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Issues

One fine weekend, amongst laughter and chatter a family coming out of restaurant was suddenly stopped by a bony skeleton with some naked hollow faced bewildered creatures. On contemplation she appeared to be a poverty stricken mother with her two little kids in rags? the infant in her lap had sterile tracks on cheeks and swollen eyes showing the time he took to learn to remain pacified even after stomach scratching hunger and the baby girl looked so mature gazing with beautiful eyes full of lots of ugly questions instead dreams. She was a beggar requesting some food and money but surprisingly her conversation and manners appeared very refine. To answer the startle she told a heart-wrenching story; of her love marriage with a well earned person, circumstances that led to addiction and torture on her. Journey towards poverty and the piercing memory of the day when her missing addict husband was found dead on heap of garbage due to over dosage. Wiping her tears the woman left the family after pouring her heart out and abusing the system of society.


It is not a story of just one women or family. Every day newspapers are replete with the news of deaths due to some drug addiction or crimes by addicts. Addiction is becoming increasingly recourse for heart broken, poverty stricken or crisis laden people especially for disillusioned youth. Youth is prime time for zestfulness, energetic ideas, hopes and dreams and time for practical work or healthy activities.

But in a developing country like Pakistan with inflation, corruption and exploitation mounting towards sky while access to resources whereas patience and equal rights are at a decline; young people find no apt outlets to vent their energies and youthfulness, no jobs and even no play grounds.

Multiple societal and psychological factors drag people towards addiction. Majority of people start drugs as an adventure fun in conformity to their social group or as an escape from failures and harsh realities of life but end up as confirm addicts. Addiction triggers so many health and behavioural issues. Smoking, a milder form of addiction, is increasingly becoming a favourite fashion of teenagers and females. Smoking causes lung and respiratory diseases and cancer and anxiety. Just imagine what heroine, marijuana, opium, hashish cocaine or other forms of drugs can do with a human body and psychiatric health. Much has been done for awareness regarding harms of addiction. Majority of persons who fall a prey to voluptuous addiction do it even knowing all the dangers imposing threats to life and imparity to healthy social activities. They just want an escape from their conscious nostalgic mind, to eliminate miseries and melancholy of dismal life into a deep delved forgetfulness and deadly pleasure. For this addicts are ever ready to feel the pricks and pinches in every cm of their body down to blood vessels, missing irregular heart beat, dizziness, nausea, hurricanes over head and blurred darkness before eyes n swings in moods - the symptoms of addiction. Addicts remain in a mood of flight n fickle, without it they feel like fish out of water than some drops of poison give them temporary life promising a sense of tranquillity and escape.

The more a person becomes addicted the more alienated from society, alien to respect, trust and normal healthy life. Addiction does nothing but to add complexities and miseries to life. It harbours lungs, kidneys heart and brain diseases. Drugs through injections inject HIV, aids, hepatitis and tetanus. According to doctors average life of an addict who starts drugs in adolescent is maximum 30 years. On quitting addiction a person has to undergo a severe pains and reactions like vomiting, restlessness, anxiety, drowsiness and disturbed brain working.

Question is where fun and adventure lies in addiction. Isn?t it dishonoring the precious gift of life? Are we not responsible to pass on a healthy society and traditions to coming generations? Why can?t we speed up and struggle on regular basis to kill this monster instead waiting for international days just because our some one dear is not passing through this pain. Every one can contribute and lend a hand in culling of drugs n curing addicts and their rehabilitation. Every individual in itself is a force if has determination. Why to wait for government or any NGO, every individual in it self is a force if there is determination because one sufferer ruins a whole family and our social set up like the women beggar mentioned above.