You as a teenager might have had that urge to puff on a cigarette or drink silly, and you might have a friend who can’t do without having a dose of ganja every day. Raghav Thapa, 17, and Swopnil Maharjan, 18, both grade 12 students from NASA International College, Tinkune, and Kalyan Shrestha and Leena Manandhar, both 23-year-old Bachelors in Business Administration (BBA) students from Kathmandu Don Bosco College, Balkumari, talk about substance abuse and how they have been able to keep themselves away from it thus far. [break]
Have you ever indulged in substance abuse? Or do you know someone who has? How do you feel about it?
Leena: I feel proud to say that I’ve never indulged in any form of substance abuse. Of course I do love drinking occasionally, but that’s it. I had a friend who started doing drugs after breaking up with his girlfriend. His family admitted him in a rehabilitation center and he was there for about a year, but it did nothing to help him permanently. His addiction continued as soon as he was out of the rehab. I feel bad about it because he was a bright student and now he’s totally ruined his life. He hasn’t even been able to complete his high school.
Kalyan: I enjoy drinking once in a while, but I have never let it become my habit. I did have friends in college who smoked weed though. I think teenagers are very curious and want to explore things. Despite knowing that drugs will ruin their lives, they are just too curious to try them once. Before they realize, the ‘trial’ becomes a habit.
Swopnil: I had a friend who was seriously into drugs. He not only smoked, but did drugs of all sorts. As soon as I came to know that, I tried to persuade him to quit, but he confidently said that he only wanted to look ‘cool’ and that he’d quit before the drugs enslaved him. Later, he started stealing things from his home and selling them for meager prices to meet his drug needs. I guess it was a waking call for me – I quit smoking, which I had only very recently started, for the fear that I might end up like him. His parents never found out because he was regular at school and whenever he was under influence, he’d find an excuse to stay out of home. I haven’t heard of him for over two years now.
Raghav: About three years back, due to peer pressure, I tried smoking. But I got into such a bad fit of cough that I haven’t dared puff another cigarette till date. In fact, it tasted so bad that I often wonder why people don’t invest their money on tasty yet harmless stuffs like ice-cream for example.
Why do you think youths are getting into substance abuse?
Leena: I think youths, especially teenagers, have difficulty dealing with heart breaks. I have also heard of youngsters embracing drugs to cope with life in general – like failure in studies, family problems, etc. Other than that, I guess easy availability of various drugs – like Dendrite. One can see so many street children sniffing Dendrite, and no one – not even the authority – cares.
Swopnil: Like I said, they want to look ‘cool’. They are influenced by movies, and they want to experience feeling totally wasted. And the easy availability also does encourage them. Varieties of drugs like tabs, cough syrups, are easily available in the pharmacies and they don’t even require a doctor’s prescription!
Raghav: I think lack of self control makes some youths more vulnerable to substance abuse. Some believe that smoking and drinking make them look mature.
How have you been keeping yourselves away from it?
Raghav: I try to stay in a circle of friends who are honest and happy. We don’t let our lives be dictated by the depressive thoughts that teenagers are often prone to. Besides studying, I keep myself occupied by watching movies, going out with friends and playing video games.
Swopnil: Self control is essential. Besides, I am an avid gamer and have friends who are as passionate about games as me. I also love browsing interesting sites on the Internet and composing songs. When nothing works, I sleep.
Kalyan: I know how substance abuse ruins one’s life, and I don’t want to ruin my life. I love my family and I love myself even more. I know that doing drugs will rob me off the privileges that I enjoy now.
Leena: There are so many fun things to do as a young person. I enjoy my time with friends and family, bunking college (sometimes), gossiping, laughing… I don’t want to spoil my life for a moment of ecstasy.
How do you think substance abuse can be brought under control?
Leena: Scores of youths in Nepal are still uneducated and are unaware of the dreadful impacts of substance abuse. So awareness campaigns are a must. And for those youths are doing drugs and binge drinking despite knowing it’s wrong, well, they just need more self control and discipline.
Raghav: I think education makes a lot of difference. Most educated people are generally conscious of their health and well being. They fear being shunned by the society. I think a lot also depend on the family environment. None of my family members smoke or drink, and there’s always a fear in the back of my mind that if I smoke or drink, I’ll hurt them.
Kalyan: Family environment makes a lot of difference. A father who drinks can’t really convince his children not to drink. I also believe that parents of teenagers need to treat their children like friends, so that they find it easier to share their problems with their parents rather than turn to intoxicants.
Swopnil: Also it’s high time we make amendments to some of our traditions. In communities where drinking alcohol is customary, why not set an age limit? How about banning use of bhang, dhaturo during festivals like Holi and Shivaratri?
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