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ALCOHOL & SUBSTANCE ABUSE

Drug addiction is one of the most misconceived phenomenon. Some people don’t even believe that addiction is real; others are under the impression that drug addiction is a lifestyle of choice and that anyone can stop the drug use whenever they want. More so, even those in active addiction hold the same believe. What people don’t know is that addiction is actually a disease. In fact experts define addiction as a chronic relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and abuse despite the occurrence of adverse consequences. This explains why drug dependent individuals pull out some incredibly insane stunts just to acquire their drug of choice; for example a man squandering all his salary just to fund his addiction in a flagrant disregard for his family’s needs like basic needs, rent and school fees for his kids.

Some of the most commonly abused psychoactive substances include; alcohol, tobacco, miraa, marijuana and other hard drugs like cocaine, heroin and MDMA (ecstasy). People also abuse certain drugs that are designed for medicinal purposes; specifically benzodiazepines and barbiturates. These drugs are used as anxiolytics (anxiety inhibitors) and hypnotics (sleeping pills) for the treatment of insomnia.

ALCOHOL

Alcohol is the oldest and most widely abused psychoactive drug. Majority of people in most countries drink alcoholic beverages except in the Islamic countries where it’s mostly illegal. Alcohol remains to be legal in most countries worldwide and yet it is among the leading cause of annual deaths, chronic illnesses, incarcerations, dysfunctional families, divorces and child & spousal abuse.

In Kenya alone over 30% of men are regular alcohol users; and the number of women in regular alcohol abuse has been on the rise at an alarming rate. WHO reports that 20% of Kenyan secondary school students engage in regular alcohol consumption. The average age of use of alcohol in Kenya is 11 years. Globally alcohol causes 3.2% of all deaths annually. NACADA (2016) reports that alcohol is the most used substance by high school students with a prevalence of 23.4%. High rates of alcohol abuse among adolescents and the youth have been attributed to a few risk factors like; poor parenting, poor modelling, environmental factors, negative influence from the media and gender. Gender remains a risk factor leaving males with a higher prevalence of a lifetime use of alcohol (NACADA 2016).

WHO (2016) reports that four out of every a hundred people who lost their lives did so as a result of alcohol abuse; and of all the deaths more than three quarters were men. WHO also reported that an estimated 237 million men & 46 million women suffer from alcohol use disorders. The WHO report also added that of all the alcohol consumed in Kenya, 37% comprised of illicit brews known locally as “changaa”.

It is clear that alcohol and substance abuse is a global menace; but in Kenya it is reaching epidemic proportions. Most people in regular drug abuse remain ignorant about the imminent serious repercussions. The effects of alcohol and substance abuse transcend beyond the same old hackneyed biological effects; for example the talk about alcohol abuse and liver damage has been clichéd. Alcohol and other substance abuse leads to dependence; which means that one cannot do without the drug. Addiction leads to an almost predictable chain of events. They include but not limited to;

· Loss of job leading to a lifetime of unemployment since one cannot sustain a job

· Financial constraints

· Legal problems (incarceration) for example due to drunk driving or assaulting under the influence

· Dysfunctional families and divorce

· Sexual abuse (especially for the women in addiction) and child abuse

· Moral bankruptcy

· Poor hygiene

· Irresponsible sexual behavior that might lead to contracting HIV and teenage pregnancies

· Mental disorders for example psychosis and other depressive disorders

· Death

MARIJUANA

Marijuana also called bhang, cannabis sativa, ganja, weed, blunt, Marie, Kush, pot, ankada, vela etc. it is another commonly abused drug especially among the youth and adolescents. Marijuana acts majorly as a hallucinogen once administered. The use of marijuana has deep religious foundations especially in the Rastafarian community. Some scientists have had substantial evidence that marijuana has medicinal benefits such as pain relief and alleviating the discomforts in cancer patients under chemotherapy and also in treatment of seizures. However this development of medical marijuana has not been fully embraced as there are groups of antagonists who don’t believe in marijuana being medicinal.

Adolescents in regular marijuana use are at a greater risk of developing early mental illnesses. This is because an adolescent’s brain is still developing and marijuana is known to alter the developmental process of the brain. Continued use of marijuana leads to mental illness, specifically drug induced psychosis. Adolescents that may have ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), an underlying mood disorder like Bipolar or a latent psychotic disorder like schizophrenia, have the marijuana use exacerbate the condition. This leads to quick progression of the psychotic episodes.

In this regard, KIBCo has come up with various strategies to help curb the growing drug use problem. KIBCo has a team of competent professionals in the field of drug and substance abuse and addiction counseling. The team conducts intervention and mentorship programs to young people in schools, high schools, colleges and churches in an attempt to create total awareness about matters drug and addiction. Furthermore KIBCo offers certificate and diploma classes on drugs and substance abuse, addiction counseling and certification in Universal Treatment Curriculum (UTC) & Universal Prevention Curriculum (UPC).

Ed. Nyota

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