Drug and substances: Causes and effects

By Pauline T Nenerai

DRUGS are medicines or other substances which have a physiological effect when ingested or otherwise introduced in a body.

Drug and substance abuse (DSA) is a challenge among Zimbabwean youths. According to the Zimbabwe Civil Liberties and Drugs Network (2019) report, the proportion of young people involved in DSA increased from 43 percent in 2017 to 57 percent in 2019.

Drugs and substances popularly used in Zimbabwe are alcohol, cannabis, heroin, glue and cough syrup, such as Histalix and Bron clear. According to a study, alcohol, drugs and other substances abuse is at 41 percent in girls, while in boys, the percentage is at 59 percent in Zimbabwe. Many of the youths are addicted to drugs and some have even died due to the use of drugs and substances.

There are several reasons why young people use drugs, for example, experimental purposes. As children grow up, they are curious as to what happens when they take drugs and because of this, they end up experimenting.

Development and environmental factors interact with critical developmental stages in a person’s life resulting in addiction. Research has shown that, history within the family also contributes to the use of drugs, giving rise to early exposure to drugs.

If the family had a number of people who abused drugs the youths born or raised in the family are likely to follow the trend, especially if they witnessed the elders using the drugs and substances. There are incidences in communities, where elderly women used to prepare their local brewed beers for different ceremonies and the teenagers would partake in the drinking, thus exposing them to become alcoholic. Therefore, parental guidance can affect a person’s likelihood of drug use and addiction greatly.

Some youths abuse prescription drugs and end up being addicts. Peer pressure can also lead young people to use drugs. The friends one chooses can influence the decision-making, leading them to drug addiction. Sometimes drug addiction is a result of young people being lonely. They resort to use of drugs and substances to quench the thirst of loneliness. Most youths who use drugs, cite that they “feel good after using drugs. That feeling makes them want to use drugs continually.

Another main cause of drug abuse among the youths are mental health issues, such as stress. As the youths go through the adolescence stage, this comes with a lot of physical and emotional change, thus they need support and guidance. If they lack the support and shoulder to lean on, they might experience stress, and start to use of drugs.

Young people who persistently abuse drugs often experience an array of problems, including academic difficulties. Some end up being dropouts due to pregnancies, though the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education supports that every child of school-going age should be in school, they choose to be dropouts.

The youths may also experience health related problems that include mental health, because some drugs damage the brain. When people are under the influence of drugs and substances, it might be difficult to interact with them, thus leading to poor peer relationships.

A number of youths depend on their parents or guardians for their welfare. They use money for school fees or other things to acquire drugs, and if they no longer have the money, they end up getting involved in crime.

People with addiction often have one or more associated health issues, which could include lung or heart disease, stroke, seizures, cancer or mental health conditions and brain damage. Problems with memory, attention and decision-making, which make daily living difficult.

In the worst case scenario, some even commit suicide as is indicative in reports carried by the media of cases of youths, who take their lives while under the influence of drugs ad substances.

Instead of turning to counsellors, psychologists and other mental health practitioners, the youth instead use drugs and substances, destroying the future generation.

Zimbabwe‘s national drug policies and regulations follow the zero-tolerance approach, criminalising possession and trafficking of drugs.

Pauline T. Nenerai is an Assistant Educational Psychologist.