DE ADDICTION CENTRES FOR CHILDREN SHOULD BE CREATED

As per  NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse)

Drug use and other mental illness often co-exist. In some cases, mental disorders such as anxiety, depression, or schizophrenia may come before addiction. In other cases, drug use may trigger or worsen those mental health conditions, particularly in people with specific vulnerabilities.

Children at their age are most vulnerable and can be influenced easily. As provided above it is very evident that addiction preys over the most vulnerable and; thus it is determined that such addiction comes with a package of disorders and severe health issues.

SUCH DISEASES CAN BE CAUSED DUE TO ADDICTION

• Cardiovascular disease
• Stroke
• Cancer
• HIV/AIDS
• Hepatitis B and C
• Lung disease
• Mental disorders

NIDA also provides that addiction is a treatable disorder. This shows that addiction is an issue that can be solved if the treatment is provided well-mannered and the care taken is effective enough to remain consistent. Medicines and therapies also help recover such children. Thus it becomes very necessary for the government to address the matter and create some de-addiction centers in the country.

• According to the National Survey on Extent and Pattern of Substance Use in India 2019 by  The National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) provides:

1. Inhalants: (overall prevalence 0.7%) is a category of substances for which the prevalence of current use among children and adolescents is higher (1.17%) than adults (0.58%).
2. At the national level; an estimated 4.6 lakh children and 18 lakh adults need help for their inhalant use (harmful use/dependence). About 4.6 lakh children need treatment for addiction of inhalants, needless to highlight that the category addressed is only inhalants.
3. In terms of absolute numbers, states with a high population of children needing help for inhalant use are Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Delhi, and Haryana. In comparison to the number of states needing the most help, the de-addiction centers that exist in the whole country are only a few.
4. About 1.3% of the population consuming alcohol is children i.e. 10-17 year olds. Children of alcohol and other substance dependents, children with HIV affected parents, street children, child prisoners, and school dropouts are the most common categories that get attracted to toxic substances and getting addicted thereof. The vulnerable of the vulnerable children don’t get any recognition from the government and; thus uncountable deaths of these innocent children go unacknowledged.
5. A high proportion of children reporting alcohol use (more than thrice the national average) was noted in Punjab (6%), West Bengal (3.9%), and Maharashtra (3.8%). The states with a good number of children in the population also tend to mismanage the condition of drug use amongst children. According to the facts above it is addressed that; Punjab having the highest stats is the most intense where children of a delicate age get trapped into the dungeon of drugs use.

6. The three categories of opioids

   : (1) Opium (including doda/phukki/poppy husk); (2) Heroin (including brown sugar/smack) and; (3) Pharmaceutical opioids have also caught off the children and; emphatically opioids have crossed the proportion of cannabis leading to 1.8%. Such hard substances consumed in such a beginning stage can do multiple harms to children. Being addicted to such substances makes life purposeless and for children just at the beginning stage of life considering their addiction can cause nothing but the end.

7. Prevalence in the adult population is 0.58% while the prevalence among children and adolescents is 1.17%. Many states of the country have a substantial population of children using inhalants and are affected by inhalant use disorders. Among children, earlier research from India has shown that street children are a particularly vulnerable population for inhalant use.

9. NDDTC specifically highlights that findings of this survey indicate that; substance use does exist even among children and adolescents, though only in small proportions. Thus, protecting the youth of the nation is of paramount importance.
10. It is very important for ensuring that children and youth grow and; stay healthy and safe into adulthood, it is necessary to open de-addiction centers. Research has identified a large number of ‘risk factors contributing to the initiation of substance use and development of substance use disorders amongst children.

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