Drugs and alcohol abuse

Drugs that are misused change how the brain and body work, and they can destroy lives. The main ones:

• Opioids bind to opioid receptors in the brain and gut. Heroin ('smack'), chemically diacetylmorphine, is made from morphine, which comes from the poppy plant, Papaver somniferum. It is a depressant: it slows down body functions.
• Cannabinoids come from the hemp plant, Cannabis sativa: marijuana, hashish, charas and ganja. They affect the heart and blood circulation.
• Cocaine, from the coca plant Erythroxylum coca, interferes with the transport of the brain chemical dopamine. It gives a false feeling of energy, and large doses cause hallucinations.
• Some medicines (barbiturates, amphetamines, benzodiazepines) used to treat depression and sleeplessness are also misused.

Tobacco is smoked, chewed or used as snuff. It contains nicotine, which stimulates the adrenal glands to release adrenaline, raising blood pressure and heart rate. Smoking causes cancers of the lung, mouth and throat, bronchitis, emphysema, heart disease and stomach ulcers. It also raises the amount of carbon monoxide in the blood, reducing the oxygen it can carry.

Alcohol and drugs are especially dangerous during adolescence, the period between about 12 and 18 years of age, a time of rapid change in body and mind. Curiosity, the wish for adventure, stress from studies and exams, and peer pressure can tempt young people to try them.

Two dangers follow:

• Addiction: repeated use raises the body's tolerance, so ever larger doses are needed for the same effect. Even trying a drug once can be the start.
• Dependence: the body comes to rely on the drug. If it is stopped suddenly, a withdrawal syndrome follows: anxiety, shakiness, nausea and sweating. This drives continued use.

The effects reach beyond the user: reckless behaviour, fights, poor school work, broken families. Injecting drugs with shared needles spreads HIV and hepatitis B. Long-term alcohol use damages the nervous system and liver (cirrhosis), and drug use during pregnancy harms the baby.

Prevention is better than cure:

• Avoid undue peer pressure: every child should be allowed to make their own choices.
• Education and counselling help young people face problems and stress.
• Seek help from parents and friends, who can guide and support.
• Watch the danger signs: a sudden drop in school performance, withdrawal from friends and family, changes in sleep and appetite.
• Seek professional help: qualified psychologists, psychiatrists, and de-addiction and rehabilitation programmes can help people recover.