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Dimapur, July 25 (MExN): The ARK Foundation with support from the Department of Social welfare, Nagaland and in collaboration with Private School Teachers Association Pungro (PSTAP) conducted a webinar on the topic ‘substance abuse awareness and prevention’ with the students of Pungro Town on July 23.
ARK Foundation, President Ketho Angami moderated the program while welcome address was delivered by PSTAP, General Secretary Shokam.
Delivering on the topic ‘substance abuse and prevention,’ Ketho shared that addiction in the state has resulted in loss of lives and created a social menace in the larger society. He urged the students to be aware of the harmful effects of drugs and alcohol use and never to initiate the first use but to rather focus on their educational careers instead of destroying their lives with drugs.
Threat of gateway drugs
He defined substance use as “any substance when taken in turn modifies the person’s well being.” He shared the various types of gateway drugs like volatile solvents, dendrites, tobacco and nicotine and cautioned the students to be aware of such substance as it may result to a more progressive habit in the coming years.
He shared the major concern where youngsters of whom mostly are students are initiating such substances. “Such introduction to these gateway drugs results into forming a chronic dependency habit into harder drugs and in a more addictive manner that results in several harmful habits,” he stated.
Misuse of pharmaceutical drugs
Speaking about the reasons why people get into drugs, Ketho said that some reasons are curiosity, peer pressure, frustration, experimental, recreational purpose etc while other factors like poor upbringing, inferior complexity, and easy availability.
One other concern, according to the ARK foundation is the rampant use of pharmaceutical drugs in the form of cough syrup. drug are used in various forms like drinking, swallowing, injecting, chasing, snorting and once a person reaches the dependency stage, numerous problems erupts in the mental, emotional, and physical aspect.
“Therefore, to get relieve from such pain, the continuation of drug usage keeps happening which makes it difficult for a person to quit,” he pointed out.
Primary prevention is the ‘key’
On the management and prevention perspective, he mentioned that primary prevention is the “key”. He said that hat people should be made aware of the harmful effects of drug use and not to ever get introduced into substance use, and treatment through rehabilitation for those who are already in the addictive stage.
He concluded the presentation by mentioning some tips to prevent the youngsters/students from keeping away from being introduced to the first “Substance use” experience.
The closing remarks and vote of thanks was pronounced by the Women Coordinator, Kiutanli, PSTAP.
Journey from addiction to recovery
A member of the ARK Foundation, Renbonthung shared about his struggle with substance abuse and how he was able to recover.
In his sharing, he mentioned that, during his generation, the society and the individual himself was not aware of the harmful cause of addiction. He started at a very young age out of sheer curiosity with a drug and continued using but very occasionally. By then, his performance at school and colleges also dropped down.
By the time he realized, he needs to quit it, he was already into the chronic dependency stage and it was too late, and this made him realized that he had become dependent into the drugs very severely. Because of his addictive habit, he started to lie, cheat and manipulate others in order to get his supplies of drugs on a daily basis. In order to support his daily dose, he started peddling which landed him into conflict with the law and landed up in jails on two occasions.
He recalled how some of his friends died of drug overdose. According to him, though, he was lucky enough to have survived many horrifying years of addiction, but thanked God for keeping him healthy and alive.
He shared his journey of undergoing a treatment of rehabilitation program and he gratefully announced that he was clean and free from drugs and alcohol for more than 18 years. Ever since his drug free life, he has been working in the field of helping other fellow substance users to help them recover.
He advised the students to engage themselves in healthy habits such as music, games and studies and not to resort to initiating the habit of drugs use.
