March 1 - International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking
Currently, the problem of drug use and trafficking is one of the most pressing issues facing modern society.
Drug addiction is a severe illness that begins with the occasional (or coerced) use of drugs, followed by the formation of a harmful habit of regular use and, subsequently, an irresistible craving for drugs. "Nothing will happen from one time, and I'll always be able to stop – if I've got my wits about me!" This is how almost every novice drug addict reasons. But one joint leads to another, then another…
There are NO harmless drugs. All of them have a toxic effect on the brain, deplete a person's psyche and nervous system. Therefore, one should not treat smoking "pot" lightly. Drug use indicates a person's infantilism, their unreadiness for adult life, and their inability to solve problems independently. Those who regularly need a dose stop developing mentally – if a person first encountered drugs at fourteen or fifteen, then in terms of intelligence, they will remain an adolescent even after twenty years. A person who uses drugs is like an empty vessel. They have no values, no future, no self.
The so-called drug addiction syndrome (dependence) arises as a result of taking a narcotic substance, regardless of whether it happens accidentally or after systematic use.
Drug dependence is characterized by a number of signs: – the need for regular use, escalating into an irresistible craving; – the need for a constant increase in dose, as the previous dose no longer produces the desired effect; – a severe condition (withdrawal) that develops in the absence of access to the drug: the addict cannot tolerate this state, which causes nervous disorders, tachycardia, vomiting, and excessive salivation. At the same time, an obsessive desire to find the drug at any cost arises; – changes in a person's character – they become irritable; their mood is unstable; their hands tremble, sweat, and their coordination is impaired.
Drug use leads to irreversible changes in the human body. Under the influence of drugs, bone marrow dies, the cardiovascular system suffers, blood cells are destroyed, a tendency towards vascular thrombosis and non-healing ulcers develops, teeth and hair fall out. A severe inflammatory process develops in the liver – hepatitis, and then cirrhosis. Children born to mothers who abuse narcotic substances have a number of medical problems: low birth weight, developmental defects, neurological problems. The problem of AIDS is closely related to the spread of drug addiction.
It is often desirable to try everything in life, but drugs are not something worth trying. Experiments with drugs always end in self-harm and never pass without a trace for the psyche and body. If the consequences did not occur immediately, they will definitely manifest themselves during the rest of your life!
In the Republic of Belarus, children and adults who use drugs can receive the necessary narcological assistance. Republican "Helpline" for narcological patients 8 801 100 21 21 on weekdays from 9.00 to 17.00 (free of charge).
Take care of your health, choose life! Do not forget that those who sell drugs are trading our health and lives!