24 June marks the start of the South African National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence’s (Sanca’s) national Drug Awareness Week.
Sanca has launched the #Kick-Your-Habit for one week challenge to raise awareness of how difficult it is for drug addicts to quit substance abuse for life. The challenge is to quit something you love, cling to and can’t give up, (anything from sugar to social media), for one week, starting today.
Widely-used drugs include alcohol, marijuana (also known as dagga, weed, and Mary Jane), cocaine, heroin, Cat, methamphetamines, Mandrax, inhalants, many substances smoked though a hookah, and even over-the-counter (OTC) medication.
Drugs work by taking over the normal functioning of the brain, changing the way a person responds to self-control, judgement, emotion, motivation, memory and learning. They also often cause euphoria ( a strong ‘feel-good’ sensation), but can also cause hallucinations, anxiety, paranoia, uncontrolled behaviour and even death.
The social consequences of drug abuse include losing the trust of friends and family, poor performance at work or school, quitting activities you enjoy, poor decision-making and the contraction of diseases like HIV/Aids. The long-term effects of drugs depend on the drug itself; however, most drugs are addictive and harmful to health in the long run.
Here are 10 interesting drug facts:
1) Most people with substance-abuse problems started using before the age of 18
2) More teenagers die from prescription drugs than heroin and cocaine combined
3) Thirty one per cent of rock star deaths are drug and alcohol related
4) In the Netherlands there are public facilities to which people can bring recreational drugs, including marijuana, cocaine and Ecstasy, to test whether they’re safe to use
5) There is a nail polish that detects date-rape drugs – all you do is dip your painted finger into your drink
6) Anti-depressant drugs, known to have sexual side-effects, also suppress the basic human emotions of love and romance
7) Cannabis was once used to pay taxes because the English navy used hemp to make ropes and sails
8) Heroin was once marketed as a cough suppressant by Bayer
9) “The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde” by Robert Louis Stevenson was the product of a six-day cocaine binge.
10) The inventor of LSD, Albert Hofmann, lived to be 102 years old.
Fun aside, drugs are a serious problem in South Africa. It is estimated that drug use in South Africa is twice the world norm with 15 per cent of the population struggling with a drug problem. Drug abuse costs South Africa approximately R20 billion a year. South Africa is also the largest user of Mandrax in the world, making the country a drug capital.
Prevention is better than cure as most drug rehabilitation centres have a success rate of less than three per cent.
Have you ever experimented with drugs? If so, do you regret it?
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