Rev Fr. Dr. Joe Mariadhas
“I was born and brought up from a good Christian family. I have one brother and one sister. As from a good Christian background, I was an obedient child who used to attend all the church functions along with my family members. When I grew up and attained the age of 15, I was introduced to Drugs, due to peer pressure. I depended on the chemical for the past 15 years of my life. I was the problem maker, who used to obliterate the peace in the family. I started to tell lies, cheat, steal things, quarrel with my friends and family members to get my daily dose.”
“I started taking drugs at the age of 17 years. I took drugs to keep myself looking smart and to get pleasure. At first, I enjoyed it without knowing the consequences lying ahead of my future. But at last I realized that taking drugs has led me to nowhere but to sickness and death. I became Drug dependent.”
“I started taking drugs in the year 1994, at the age of 15, out of peer pressure as well as for pleasure. I never thought that I would land up a hopeless addict. As I was still a student, I had to depend on my parents for every dose of drugs so I demanded money from them, and when they didn’t give me, I stole goods from my house and I started indulging in bad habits like smoking, drinking and experimenting with various drugs. I faced a lot of problems and difficulties I never wanted to go through but I had to, because of my drug use, I also dropped my studies from 12th standard as well. Drug was my life and as the years went by; my addiction has made me miserable in life.”
These are some of the testimonies shared by friends who have become dependent to substance abuse. The menace of substance abuse in our modern society cannot be ignored or undermined. It has made its ugly impact on the most vulnerable and the marginalized of our youth today. Drug addiction threatens not only the lives of individuals who are addicted but their families, societies and ultimately destroy the vitality and strength of communities. It is very important as youngsters are getting increasingly involved into substance abuse; it is a threat to our progress and development especially among the brightest and promising young people who are called to build up our state.
Life with all its velocities, tensions, pleasures and pains offer to everyone freedom of choice. One can choose to be happy or sad, to live or to die and the choices we make determine our lives. Often we come across in life that we are unable to bear the burdens and demands of the day. Since we don’t have access to many recreational activities these burdens carry us away into the realm of undesired behaviour. Drug abuse is one of the major elements that has led or influenced our young minds into addiction. The society can no longer ignore the fact that we have this menace affecting individuals, families and communities. This has become a social problem that needs to be addressed and contained. There are many people in our society who are trying their best to address this issue in a positive manner by helping the individuals to give up drugs and alcohol and promote progress and prosperity. In this short description I shall bring to the attention of all readers that we need to understand the issue in a realistic manner.
Substance Abuse Scenario
Being placed geographically in the vicinity of the Golden Triangle (Myanmar, Laos and Thailand), the availability and accessibility to illegal drugs has added on to the already complex problems existing in the state. The statistics of drug users in Dimapur district so far available is 10, 682, but which is believed to be much more. Of these 5958 drug addicts (dependents) some 934 are street children or juveniles and 216 being known as sex workers (Nagaland Post, Oct 17, 2005). The following are the official heroin transit points along the international border. Moreh, the gateway of India to the Southeast Asian countries, New Somdal in Ukhrul district in Manipur, Behaing Village in Churachanpur district of Manipur, Bokan in Myanmar bordering Molcham village in Chandel district of Manipur, Champai in Mizoram bordering Myanmar and Pangsha International trading center in Tuensang in Nagaland” (Joyce Angami, Addiction News, Jan-March 2005).
In another Survey conducted by the Morung Express newspaper “Is Prohibition making Naga youths to turn to drugs?” the voting result was 40% Yes, 36% No and others 24% (The Morung Express, June 16, 2008). Cannabis seems to be the most common first drug of abuse, then alcohol and then follows other substances and the age of initiation is as early as 15 years. Poly drug use is another common problem of our youth. The incidents of drug abuse among friends were as much as 94% in Dimapur that influenced others into drug abuse. (Rapid Assessment Survey of Drug Abuse in India, 2004)
The Newspapers of Nagaland invariably publish almost every day about the catch of banned drugs, seizure of illicit liquor or Ganja in the possession of individuals or trucks and other sources. This shows that drugs are being transited in and through the state. Illicit liquor caught from different locations in the state is another example of availability of liquor in the state though the state is dry.
• According to medical research, Nagaland had 10,000 drug addicts in 1990 with 25% HIV + cases (Education on Drug Addiction by ER Lotha, the Good Shepherd Ministry, Kohima, Nagaland, December 1993).
• During 2003 HIV transmission through the sexual route was 47% as compared to 41% through IDUs and in 2004 there is a shift in the scenario that 73% of HIV infections are through the sexual route and 23% through IDUs. The HIV infection has spread beyond IDUs and commercial sex workers into the general population.
• In a statement by World Health Organization, Geneva, harmful use of alcohol kills 2.5 million people every year globally and 320,000 people are between 15-29 years of age. (Nagaland Post, 24 May 2010)
• Reports say that drugs of abuse among the treatment seekers in Nagaland are Depressants 47%, Alcohol 14% and Heroin 8%.
Youth and Addiction
Considering the above statements one can understand how much our young people are at risk because youth form the major portion of our population. According to a report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, in the total population of 1,988,636, Youth would be 6, 76,136.24. Youth-hood is also the period where it can impart training, nurture, groom skills, and maintain good health and ability. Acquire ability developed through training, education and deliberation at this time of life. Youth role is crucial as they are the bearer of social transition and transformation of a society. Why youth is crucial in the society- a response is the great assets of youth, resilience, resourcefulness and perseverance. In other words, youth is the inevitable pillar of a society.
According to Theodore Lidz, Psychiatrist of Yale University, adolescence “is the period between pubescence and physical maturity… the transition from childhood, initiated by the pre-pubertal spurt of growth and impelled by the hormonal changes of puberty, to the attainment of adult prerogatives, responsibilities, and self-sufficiency” (Thomas & Biju 2002). Adolescence, as commonly understood, is a period of transition between childhood and adulthood, a period of empowerment and participation, a period of learning and shaping attitudinal, behavioral and social responsibility (Life Skills, Learner’s Guide, UN 2002). According to the report of National Institute of Social Defence there are 3 million drug users in our country and majority of them are between 16 to 35 years (March 2000). The adolescents initially experiment out of curiosity and they develop into dependency. Adolescence is a time of immense physical and emotional change. Young people often feel awkward and self conscious. They may feel caught between conformity and the urge to be different or the urge to fit in with the peer group (Life Skills Training Guide for Young People, UN, 2003). Our young people today do not have skills necessary to deal with the stress and pressures of life, and drugs are seen as a way of dealing with them. We do come across through news channels and other resources that more and more young women are getting hooked to addiction. Where are we heading towards? Are we not responsible for the future of our youth? It is time to intervene and make amendments to save lives.
The consumption and injecting of illicit drugs is increasing in Nagaland involving more young people today. The stresses of modern day life, the images and messages in the media combined with peer pressure make an adolescent’s life, one at high risk for substance abuse and into addiction. Patterns of production, consumption and administration of illicit drugs are changing rapidly amongst the young and this leads to HIV infection at an alarming rate.
The pattern of use of psychotropic substances in Nagaland has changed significantly from a traditional to a non-traditional usage over the last 30 years. While heroin smoking by local youths in the early 1970s marked the beginning of this transition, injecting drug use in a large number of young people in the early 1980s came with its additional health and social consequences, including HIV/AIDS. A thorough understanding of the shift in drug use patterns, the vulnerability of individual drug users to different health and social consequences of drug use, the burden of drug use on women due to drug using family members and the socio-political factors that impact upon these issues in Nagaland is necessary to frame an adequate response to this modern day epidemic.
Any type of addiction not only affects the individual but the family as a whole. Mental health professionals are increasingly considering alcoholism and addiction as diseases that flourish in and are enabled by family systems. Family members react to the alcoholic with particular behavioral patterns. They may enable the addiction to continue by shielding the addict from the negative consequences of his actions. Such behaviors are referred to as codependence. In this way, the alcoholic is said to suffer from the disease of addiction, whereas the family members suffer from the disease of codependence. Most of our families do not seem to understand this point and they keep silence till it reaches unmanageability.
Peer Pressure and Addiction
Peer Pressure is another important cause of drug abuse among our youth. Benjamin Lobo writes ‘Everyone, no matter how old they are, cares for what other people think and say about them, specially their friends. The influence of people about your age, your peers, your friends are powerful and can affect the way you feel, act, dress and behave. This influence is called peer pressure. When a young man or woman is part of certain group, drugs help him or her to gain a reputation among them. Initially, when young people start using drugs, someone has to supply them with and teach them how to use it. This is where peer pressure comes in; it is hard for the teenager to say ‘no’ to friends who offer drugs (Cleave, p.22). The influence of peer pressure is the primary cause which has led many young people to drug addiction in Dimapur. Many of the respondents feel and they say that they took to drugs because of their friends in schools and colleges. About 81 percent drug users had friends who were drug users. Another 44 percent drug users were initiated into drug use by their friends. Approximately 31 percent drug users always took drugs in company of their friends. As many as 63 percent drug users got first knowledge of drugs from their friends, and 17 percent users had taken drugs in their friend’s house (Ahuja Ram, p. 399).
Management of Addiction
In 2001, the American Academy of Pain Medicine, the American Pain Society, and the American Society of Addiction Medicine jointly issued "Definitions Related to the Use of Opioids for the Treatment of Pain", which defined the following term: Addiction is a primary, chronic, neurobiologic disease, with genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors influencing its development and manifestations. It is characterized by behaviors that include one or more of the following: impaired control over drug use, compulsive use, continued use despite harm, and craving.” This definition clearly indicates the disease aspect of addiction and treatment is needed to overcome this disease.
Addiction is a treatable disease. It is characterized by compulsive drug craving, seeking, and use that persist even in the face of severe adverse consequences. For most people, addiction becomes chronic, with relapses possible even after long periods of abstinence. As a chronic, recurring illness, addiction may require continued treatments to increase the intervals between relapses and diminish their intensity. Through treatment tailored to individual needs, people with drug addiction can recover and lead fulfilling lives. The ultimate goal of addiction treatment is to enable an individual to achieve lasting abstinence, but the immediate goals are to reduce substance abuse, improve the patient's ability to function, and minimize the medical and social complications of substance abuse and their addiction. Like people with diabetes or heart disease, people in treatment for addiction will need to change behavior to adopt a more healthful lifestyle.
Treatments for addiction vary widely according to the types of drugs involved, amount of drugs used, duration of the drug addiction, medical complications and the social needs of the individual. Determining the best type of recovery program for an addicted person depends on a number of factors, including: personality, drug(s) of choice, concept of spirituality or religion, mental or physical illness, and local availability and affordability of programs. Substance abuse can be prevented through a multipronged approach from many sides. Blaming one another is escapism from the reality.
Believe it or not, the decisions that our youth takes now will determine the quality of life they will have in the future. Every decision will affect the future, the attitudes we have towards our own life, families, schools, colleges, and church; the kinds of friends that we hang around has its impact on our individual lives. The type of entertainment programmes that our youth watch or choose, the role models they follow, and the heroes they admire and imitate and all these have lasting results. Our youth will become victims of substance abuse without being aware of its consequences. Peer pressure is affecting our youth and the sense of group belonging and becoming part of a group is leading astray many youth who do not have proper friends. Parents have to play their role as responsible guardians of their children and teach them the values of hard work and upright living. Let us work together dear Young people to eradicate this menace of substance abuse from our society.
Rev Fr. Dr. Joe Mariadhas is the Director of the Shalom Rehabilitation Centre in Chumukedima, Nagaland.
