Drug Abuse
In this subsection we cover the latest developments on drug abuse by students and ways of abstaining from the vice. We also try to provide links for possible rehabilitation centers in which the youth can get help in our ‘Resources & Useful Links’ section.
Cases of high school students smuggling drugs -including alcohol- to schools or being caught in compromising situations have been on the rise for several years now. Parents and teachers alike have had to cover their faces in shame and angst severally whereas the society in general is getting more troubled about the future of the youth.
In Kenya, measures by the Ministry of education and other stakeholders like the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) have not brought the much-needed outcomes hence there is need to counsel our high school students on this vice and ensure that they still get to achieve their dreams for a bright future.
How can high school students identify common tricks and avoid being caught up in the web of drug abuse?
- Drug abuse involves partaking alcohol, bhang, substance abuse and also misuse of prescription drugs and inhalants. Hence do not partake any prescriptions that have not been prescribed for you by a medical doctor who is legally and rightfully certified to issue such prescriptions. Helping friends finish their ‘dosages’ is wrong.
- There is no age limit- do not let the myth that you are too young to be involved or trapped fool you. The drug peddlers do not care about your age and have known to target high school students as young as 13 years old.
- There is no absolute good friend or relative- until such friends or relatives (e.g., cousins) have been verified and tested. Sources of drugs can come from all corners not just school compounds but also from within your home regardless of whether you reside in the village or in the urban area.
- Avoid entertainment joints e.g., clubs and shisha dens where the likelihood of using drugs is high.
- Keep good company- as they say, ‘bad morals corrupt good character’. Avoiding friends who are likely to smuggle drugs to school during school visits (‘visiting days’ by parents/guardians) or associating with peers who study and engage in other fruitful activities like sports or club activities are among the numerous ways to do so.
- The period of adolescence and youth brings about special problems and challenges but is not an excuse to use drugs to solve your problems. Others have found alternative ways of dealing with physiological and physical changes, school life, sexual identification, and other issues in general without substance abuse and you can do so too.
- Do not mimic the behavior or lifestyle of anyone including your parents and keep your curiosity in check. Many are the students who have found themselves consuming drugs because they wanted to find out how certain drugs taste like. As the adage goes ‘Curiosity killed the cat’.
- Seek help, as often as possible- from your teachers; counsellors in school; Imams, Priests & other religious figures; trustworthy family members; among others. Even if you have fallen into the vice of drug abuse there is hope since we have rehabilitation centers in Kenya, other countries in addition to other options
What are the consequences of turning a deaf ear to the above advice?
- Health complications- e.g., Abuse of substances like tobacco, marijuana and cocaine may cause nosebleeds; loss of sense of smell; premature birth & related disorders; HIV & Hepatitis (from shared unsterilized needles used to inject some of the drugs); lung diseases etc. Some of these diseases are incurable hence you live with the consequences for the rest of your life.
- Loss of self- awareness- Some high school students have been featured on the Kenyan news and newspapers in the past after getting involved in drinking sprees and orgies, something they would normally not have done but they found themselves in such circumstances after using drugs. This exposes you to sexually transmitted diseases including HIV among other ailments.
- Poor performance in school- it will be impossible for you to concentrate on your studies or even interact well with your fellow students or teachers.
- Expulsion from school- this is the worst nightmare that could happen to you since it cuts off all connection from a bright future and there is the likelihood of you ending up in the streets, literally. There have been cases of parents who kicked out children from their homes when the children got expelled from school. Such is the rage that comes from misfortunes caused by drug abuse.
- Demise- this is the last aspect we all try to avoid but is not an impossibility. Cases of drunk students being run over by motorists or falling into water points and drowning are not uncommon and leave parents and communities grieving for the lost souls. Hence before taking the wrong turn, students need to consider the ultimate and unfortunate end of events that may happen.