Friday, 06 May | Tenzin Norbu | Dehradun
Though people are aware of the dangers of abusing hard drugs in general, various factors continue to fuel the use and abuse of alcohol and tobacco which are wrongly viewed as comparatively less dangerous. Experts stress that raising awareness is important in order to tackle this problem.
A 24 year old MBBS student who wants to remain anonymous said, “In college, there is always a sense of peer pressure to consume alcohol and tobacco if you are in a group which is already influenced by these substances. Amid all the tensions of college and exams, these things serve as a coping mechanism which in turn leads to addiction”.
Nijaat rehabilitation centre counsellor Yogesh Dobhal said that the real fight is to deal with the urges and different withdrawal symptoms that come during the rehab. “Tobacco and alcohol are very addictive substances. People who have been addicted to these generally experience withdrawal symptoms from time to time which also affect them severely in their day-to-day activities. During the Covid-19 lockdowns, we have seen people who suffered from severe withdrawal symptoms affecting their mood and behaviour, and relapsing to their old ways as soon as the lockdown ended.”
Neuropsychologist and counsellor Dr Sona Kaushal Gupta said that awareness and education among children can be a major step in the prevention of these addictions. “We should spread awareness so that youngsters know the dangers of substance abuse and learn assertive skills and the ability to say ‘no’ to any sort of peer pressure or social pressure which tells them to drink or smoke.”
She added, “A lot of communication should be done on this topic in schools between the teachers and the students. Parents should also sit with their child and talk about these things and answer any questions they have in their mind regarding this. We should also try to keep in check the mental health and self-esteem of the child and talk with them about the ways they can get through this so they don’t resort to alcohol and tobacco.”
