DRUG abuse and 5 apps to help your addiction

DRUG abuse and apps to help drug addiction

Drugs are known to be widely used to help cure ailments, but when it becomes excessive without due prescription it is otherwise known to be drug abuse. Drug abuse is not only the abusive use of illicit substances but overuse of legal substance can also be referred to as drug abuse.

Research has proven that only a small fraction of those who use drugs in Nigeria abuse it. Even at this, drug abuse still poses a challenge to the country because of its adverse consequences. The federal government has thus tried to put an end to substance abuse by establishing the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to reduce drug abuse.

Isn’t it quite challenging that despite the efforts of the government, illicit drug use increases as each year passes? Substance abuse is commonly noticeable amongst the youths aged 25-29. It is also no surprise that with the widespread of indiscriminate drug usage, the underaged are now reported to be a part of this menace.

This calls for adequate attention, as drug abuse is like a psychological state needing an adequate medical response. Over the past year alone, the indiscriminate substance abuse plummeted by 5.6% in comparison to the previous year.

This information was gathered from a survey pioneered by Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and the Center for Research and Information on Drug Abuse. Investigations based on this research also stated that almost 15% of the youth population in the country (around 14.3 million people) engaged in substance abuse over the past year.

Marijuana popularly referred to as weed heads the list as the most abused substance in Nigeria. Its widespread use in the country can be attributed to the fact that is grown in many parts of the country and it is relatively affordable for consumption. Alcohol, cigarettes, cocaine, heroin, tobacco are also widely consumed in Nigeria.

Substance abuse seems to have taken a new trend entirely with the young adults going for Codeine, a substance commonly found in cough syrup. The government has thus made efforts to stop the production and importation of cough syrup containing this substance.

Other noticeable trends of drug abuse in the country include gutter water: a dangerous mixture of codeine, tramadol, cannabis, rynophol, water, and juice. It is quite alarming to also hear of the abnormal smoking of pawpaw leaves, dung, sewage, and petrol.

CAUSES OF DRUG ABUSE

What are the likely causes of drug abuse? The main known causes of drug abuse have not been fully proven, but the following can be attributed as the causes of substance abuse:

• Depression

Depression makes people hide under the disguise of drug abuse. The causes of depression differ from person to person. Some known causes of depression include broken relationship, poor academic performance, low self-esteem, pressure amongst others. Many depressed people take drugs to get high and escape their sorrows. However, it is certain and has been proven that this is not the solution to depression, as engaging in continuous usage of substance will lead to mental illness.

• Peer Influence

In a pretense to please friends and feel amongst the crowd a lot of peers find themselves engaging in drug abuse, despite the knowledge of the consequent action. This is a major reason why there is a growing community of drug abusers on campuses and schools. This has greatly contributed to drug abuse.

• Lack of Parental Guidance

For some, it’s parental negligence and broken relationship with parents that pushed them to engage in substance abuse. Younglings from broken homes with no parental guidance engage in drug abuse as a source of comfort. Whereas it is used by others to gain parental attention and affection.

• Family background

Poor parenting is a major cause of substance abuse. In an unstable home where the parents are involved in substance abuse, the children will likely tend the route while being ignorant of the effects and adverse consequences. These kinds of parents might develop mental disorders and will eventually become abusive.

• Environmental Exposure

The environment where one grows and resides really has a lot of grip on people. Some people get exposed to illicit drug substances at a very tender age. In some environment, illicit substances are as common as sweet. This kind of environment will be very unfavorable to groom a child, as the ready accessibility to these drugs will increase their availability.

KNOWN EFFECTS OF DRUG ABUSE

It is no doubt that substance abuse has numerous consequential effects. Some of the identified effects include:

• Increased predisposition to ailments due to a weakened immune system; these ranges from heart attacks to nausea and abdominal pains. Other known ailments linked to drug abuse include stroke, liver failure, weight loss, and brain damage
• Change in brains chemistry which can lead to low performance of the brain and unhealthy dependency on substances.
• Unhealthy behavioral change pattern such as addiction, aggressiveness, hallucinations, impaired judgment, and loss of self-control with the resultant effect strained relationships with people due to abnormal behavior which will, in turn, make life a living hell.
• The worse effect of all is the loss of life (death). Many deaths have been reportedly linked to the influence of substance abuse. Alcohol is popularly known to be a major cause of road accidents as drivers who were affected and reprimanded by the road agency were most often under the influence of alcohol.

HOW DRUG ABUSE CAN BE SOLVED

Prevention which always stands out preferable to cure is no exemption to this disdaining issue of drug abuse. To effectively stop substance abuse, people should do away with abusive substance use.

Unfortunately, this is practically impossible as everyone cannot be monitored or forced to stop substance abuse against their wish. In light of this, the menace of drug abuse can be solved through the following ways

• The best-known solution for drug abuse is seeking medical attention. Treatment is usually patterned in line with the abused drug. Also, anyone also suffering from depression, anxiety, and mental illness should seek help through therapy instead of turning to substance abuse.
• Awareness should be done to educate the Nigerian population about the known risks associated with drug abuse. These risk ranges from having a broken home to mental disorders accompanied by health issues.
• Inaccessibility to illicit substances should be highly enhanced by the government to prevent the widespread of drug abuse in the country. The federal government should also ensure that those who propagate the spread of illicit drugs are brought to book and punished to serve as a deterrent to others.
• Peer pressure should also be addressed. The young adults should be taught to stand for what is right, not cowering to pressures and egoistic bullying from peers. They should also choose the right friends, as the kind of friends a person makes will affect their choices and decision.

5 Apps To Help Your Addiction

Sober Grid

• 

Struggling with addiction and relapse? This app will greatly help you have a bounce back. With the online community present here, you will guided back to normal life. This app is available on Google play store.

Stop Drinking – Andrew Johnson:

• 

stop drinking is an app that helps you stop drinking alcohol and other related drink that is injurious to your health. If you find your self going back to that bad habit after some time, just download this app and follow all it says. With its relaxation techniques, visualization and positive techniques you will overcome all your worries.

I Am Sober:

• 

drug addiction alone is a sickness of it own so if you want positive reinforcement then here comes the app that will help you bounce back to normal healthy life. With this app you will be able to keep record on how far you are improving how it works is that it will help you keep a track on minutes, hours and days you have stayed away from that old bad habit.

Happify:

• 

Most times drug abuse is caused by anxiety and some times depression while on few occasions drugs that was previously used could cause symptoms to some mental challenges.

Happify has been developed to help recovery state by improving yoye emotional well-being.

My Sober Life/My Sober Life Pro:

• 

This app has some restrictions, it allows usage by those who are between 12 to 25 years of age. It is widely believed that most kids in their adolescent age gets exposed to drug abuse. This makes them to be addicted to it when they eventually grow up. Here in this app users get to find advices from teens who where once drug addict.