SUBSTANCE ABUSE

(1) What is Substance abuse? Briefly explain the Causes and its Effects on the Society.

Substance abuse is the use of drugs, alcohol, or chemicals. The substance abuse results in
physical, psychological, emotional harm to the user or others.
Substance abuse is rare before the teenage years.
Most frequently abused substances include:
 alcohol
 tobacco
 marijuana
 hashish
 over-the-counter drugs such as dextromethorphan and pseudoephedrine
 benzodiazepines like Ativan and Valium
 stimulants: methamphetamine or cocaine
 club drugs: Ecstasy, ketamine, MDA, or Rohypnol
 hallucinogens: LSD, mushrooms
 inhalants: glue, lighter fluid, gasoline, or paint thinner
 narcotic painkillers: codeine and morphin

Areas where a change in behaviour are most noticeable may include:

1) Changed attitude or success in school

Drug abuse may be occuring if your child:
 starts missing more classes than usual without a good reason
 seems to care less about marks or school activities
 has an unexplained drop in grades

2) Behavioural changes
Teenagers like to be independent. They need their privacy. However, if your child shows any
of the following signs, he could be hiding a drug or alcohol problem:
 major change in behaviour
 major change in how he interacts with family members
 preventing family members from knowing about their friends or where they are going

3) Change in the need for cash

Another sign of substance abuse is the unexplained need for extra cash. Your child might not
be able to explain where he is spending the money. You may notice cash missing from home
or valuable items disappearing.
4) Change in self-care and appearance
Normally, teenagers are very concerned with the way they look. They strive to look their best.
If your child lacks interest in clothing, hygiene, grooming, or looks, this may be a sign
of substance abuse.
 5) Change in level of energy
There may be a change in your child’s general health. Some signs include:
 poor energy levels
 getting too much or too little sleep
 decrease in motivation

6) Physical signs and symptoms

Physical signs and symptoms depend on the drug your child may be abusing. For example, if
your child is abusing marijuana or hashish, you may notice the following symptoms:
 delayed reaction time
 red eyes
 poor concentration and memory
 increased appetite
 paranoid thinking (also a sign of mental health disease)

Causes of substance abuse:

Teenage drug use is common due to an adolescent's curiosity, desire to rebel and desire to fit
in with a peer group. The vast majority of teens who try drugs will not become teen drug
abusers. However, once addicted, the younger a person was when they start using drugs, the
more difficult drug addiction recovery tends to be.
The reasons behind drug abuse in teenagers are similar to those involving drug abuse in
adults. Often teenage drug addiction occurs because of stress at home and desires to reduce
the emotional pain felt by teen drug abusers. Other reasons for drug use leading to teen drug
abuse include:

 Low self-esteem
 Boredom
 Permissive parents, parents with drug abuse problems
 Ease of access
 To get attention

Substance abuse can have many causes. For most teenagers, curiosity and peer pressure leads
to their first drug experience. It is natural for teenagers like to engage in risky behaviour.
They do it for excitement or to fit in with their peers.
Some teenagers find that marijuana or other drugs can help relieve anxiety or depression,
which is known as 'self-medication'. Other drugs like Ecstacy or cocaine offer a jolt of energy
and heightened sensation. They may offer a short-term escape from conflicts in
life. Substance abuse can occur when teenagers use drugs, a coping strategy to deal with their
emotional problems.
Being around family members or peers that encourage drug use may influence your
child’s substance abuse. Many studies show that once your child starts using a drugs, genetic
factors may influence whether they develop an addiction.
Effect of substance abuse on society:

A substance addiction deteriorates an individual’s physical and mental well being. Many
times, an individual will lose their job and their family, resulting in sustaining support from
society.

1) Loss of Family
Families of those caught in the downward spiral of addiction go through a lot. Oftentimes,
they are subjected to domestic violence, abuse, and financial struggles. Children in this type
of environment are at risk for begin removed from the home and placed into state custody.

2) Crime
A large amount of crime can be attributed to substance addictions. This is because many
addicts are trying to obtain money to purchase their substance of choice. When a purchase
goes wrong they will need more money and violence normally occurs during these situations.
Half of all the individuals arrested for a serious crime, such as, murder, robbery, and assault,
were under the influence of an addictive, and usually illegal, substance. Society then must
pick up the cost for the law enforcement, court, and incarceration.

3) Public Impairment
It is well known that truck drivers, public transportation drivers, and even medical personnel
have substance addictions. There have been several accidents that are the fault of a driver
who was under the influence at the time of incident. This not only causes injuries and
fatalities, but also huge damage costs. Many doctors that are accused of malpractice also have
a substance addiction.

4) Environment
The environmental impact of substances is mainly the result of outdoor marijuana cultivation
and methamphetamine production. The chemicals that are used to produce meth are
flammable and hazardous. Many times, these chemicals are stored improperly, causing fire
and explosions at labs.

Outdoor marijuana cultivation, especially on public land, is another environmental impact

that is causing concern. Cultivators often dam streams and redirect the water through plastic,
gravity fed irrigation systems in order to water the plants.

Because there Is a high demand for this water, streams become strained and the vegetation
that is dependent upon it becomes damaged. Additionally, more dumpsites are being
discovered with highly toxic insecticides, repellants, and poisons that are being produced in
Mexico.

These products, usually illegal to use in the US, are being smuggled in through Mexico
because they are cheaper. They are contaminating the ground water and watersheds, as well
as killing local wildlife. Overtime, these dangerous products enter the public drinking supply.
(2) Give your suggestions and view about the Peer education training program.

The guest lecture by the students of Uddeshya was very knowledgable and enlightening. The
peer awareness program was dealt with great sensitivity and insight. It was successful in
educating the students regarding the wide spread problem of substance abuse and its ill
effects. The lesson I learnt from the lecture was that we should not excessively indulge in
anything. Everything should be done is moderation and in a controlled manner.

We learnt about gateway drugs, like the use of alcohol, hookah, betel nuts, cigarettes which
leads a person to abuse and try more lethal hard drugs like cocaine, marijuana, heroin,
methampathamine, krokodil and crack. The drug classifications used most often are the
following five classes: depressants, stimulants, hallucinogens and steroids. They affect one
or more of the mental faculties including mood, feelings, thoughts, perception, memory,
cognition, and behavior. Depressants are the drugs that slow the activity of the brain and
nerves, creating a calming or sedating effect. Stimulants accelerate the activity of the central
nervous system. They make you feel energetic, focused, and alert. Hallucinogens alter the
perception of reality time, and space. Cannabis is a plant-derived drug that is the most
commonly used illicit drug worldwide Cannabis is abused in various forms including bhang,
ganja, charas. Inhalants are consumed through inhalation. As many of these substances can be
found as household items, inhalants are frequently abused by children and adolescents. These
include substances such as paint, glue, paint thinners, gasoline, marker or pen ink, and
others.

One should avoid taking drugs as they can cause a high risk of sexually transmitted diseases
like hepatitis B, HIV aids, chlamydia. Additionally, use of these drugs can be associated with
a host of physical, mental health, and personal complications, including alcoholic liver
cirrhosis, cannabis-induced psychosis, social problems like stigma, occupational difficulties,
financial problems, and even legal problems.

- Siddarth Durga (14BCH0018)

- I did my internship at BASF India Ltd, Dahej, Gujarat, India. I was working under
Production Executive of care chemicals unit of the organization. I was assigned the
Sulphation plant which manufactured surfactants for home and personal care. I got an
opportunity to learn about the process in detail from the experienced professionals in
the field. I got first hand experience to observe chemical engineers work on the field
and assist them. It was interesting to learn the practical application of the theory learnt
in the course. During the internship I did a project on ‘Energy balance of gas section
of sulphation plant’. The project tested my skills in process engineering
thermodynamics and chemical process calculations.