How to Prevent Drug Abuse Among Youths?

 Written by: Naqeeb Ahmad Azizi

According to the information provided by the ministry Health of Afghanistan, about 3 million people are addicted to drugs, among them are some youths too.

AEPO’s writer/producer has talked to some drug addicted juveniles.

Muhammad Ali, a resident of Daikundi province says: “It is my sixth year of using drugs. At the beginning, I was smoking opium but later, I started to smoke heroin. No one leaves me at home and he/she do not count me as a human. I spend my most time under a bridge or in a park. I collect some used cold drinks' cans and sell them and I buy powder for myself. I search garbage and find some edibles.”

Another addicted boy says: “I use glass (usage of the synthetic drug, known locally as "glass". It is my tenth year of drug use. I had lost my parents many years ago. My two sisters are married and I do not go to their houses. I always sleep on the road. At the beginning, I was smoking cigarettes, then I used to hashish and later, I addicted to heroin, and now, I am used smoking glass. Once I stole something from a shop and the policeman captured me, beat me and kept me a night in a custody. I always eat bread with water and I put washed clothes after a month or more than that.”

The main causes of drug abuse:

Muhammad Ali says: “when I was working in Iran, I was not aware of drugs' harms. When I was finishing my work, my other friends were asking me to smoke heroin and I would not feel any tiredness.”

Another boy says that unemployment causes some youths to use drugs and they think that smoking might keep their mind calm.”

A psychologist, Professor Sayed Sharafuddin Azimi says: “drunkenness and other negative reactions are the compensation of unemployment, not well trained by families, the environmental effects, having bad friends and no love of the families to their children.”

How could family and friends prevent juveniles from drug addiction?

Ismatullah Sediqi, a resident of Maidan-Wardak province says: “one of my friends succeeded to the university and his new friends in the university were used to smoke hashish and he had also started smoking with them. When I got aware of his smoking, I told him that he is a young boy and smoking would have bad effects on his health and everyone would hate him even I. He accepted and quit smoking.”

A teacher says: “I have four sons, three of them are school students and one is in university. I always chase them secretly and I know their friends. I even search their pockets and bag in their absence. I ask them to study their lessons. At the dusk, I let them play football or cricket for a while with his friends. They all have  good health.”

Ahmad Zubair, a resident of Paghman district, Kabul province says: “I am a seventh-grade student and even I have not seen drugs yet. My parents have told me about the harmful effects of drugs. I have three close friends and my parents know them well.”

Professor Azimi says: “the parents should fulfill their children’s all necessities. They should provide them safe business and prepare a timetable for their daily activities; they should aware them about the harms of drunkenness and they should tell them that the result of drunkenness and smoking would be madness or death of them.”