Prevention of drug addiction

Mankind got acquainted with drugs, according to archaeologists, about 40 thousand years ago, organic drugs were brought to Europe from the Middle East by the Crusaders in the XIII century, but for a long time medicine remained the main sphere of their use. And even now it is impossible to imagine medicine without drugs – they are indispensable for injuries, myocardial infarction, before operations, in oncological practice.

The turning point was the XIX century, when drugs, thanks to the development of trade, spread around the world and began to be used for non-medical purposes. Another suicidal step of mankind was the creation of first strong extracts based on herbal drugs (morphine from opium, cocaine from coca leaves), and then the synthesis of artificial narcotic substances [10].

In the XX century, drugs began a real "crusade" against humanity. By this time, in many countries of Central and South-East Asia, the production of drugs — including synthetic ones — had become massive. The mafia was engaged in the sale and distribution of drugs. A serious outbreak of drug addiction in our country occurred after the First World War. The practice of using drugs in the army was common for many countries at that time. In field hospitals, the wounded received morphine and cocaine en masse. In England, there was even a special medical kit called "A useful gift for a friend going to the front" with a syringe and ampoules of morphine and cocaine. But most of all, drug addiction has spread among poets, writers, and artists. Cocaine reigned in literary clubs and cafes, at meetings of artists and artists, annually claiming lives and destroying destinies.

The second half of the XX century brought to mankind new synthetic poisons, including LSD. By the 1970s and 1980s, drugs had become a permanent element of mass culture in the West, but the deadly march of drug addiction did not bypass Russia either.

At the same time, drugs were not yet prohibited for sale, but changes in the personality of dependent persons, the spread of narcotic psychoses with mental confusion, crime related to obtaining money for drugs, the consequences of mass non-medical drug use frightened not only doctors, but also governments.  Having estimated the scale of the" drug epidemic", the governments of European countries even tried to create a special" opium commission " as early as 1909. It included representatives of 13 states, including Russia. After the introduction of control over the distribution of drugs, the scale of the spread of drug addiction has somewhat decreased, but, unfortunately, drug addiction has already become commonplace and it has not been possible to completely eradicate the problem.

Nowadays, the most important factor in the emergence of drug addiction is also the curiosity and fashion for drugs among young people. An extremely dangerous situation occurs when a drug taken out of curiosity or out of boredom immediately causes a pleasant sensation. As a result, a person has a desire to experience the same feeling. So there is a mental dependence on the drug. Professional drug dealers who are looking for their clients among schoolchildren know about this. Often they give drugs for a long time and for free, until their victim gets into the addiction networks and begins to beg for a drug, without which he can no longer do. After that, she is forced to pay dearly for the drug, thereby forcing her to get money somewhere, pushing her to commit a crime.

A special and very important motive for the use of drugs by young people is the hope to escape with their help from their life difficulties associated with family conflicts, school troubles, etc.Difficulties of various kinds generate an unusually strong and unpleasant feeling of internal mental tension, which does not allow a person to live normally and requires mandatory discharge. And now he discovers that the drug can, at least for a while, postpone all the troubles. And then often a company of drug addicts appears on the horizon, and the drug becomes a discovery.

The sooner parents and teachers find signs of a teenager's involvement in the use of drugs or substance abuse, the more hope there is for him to get rid of the drug. Therefore, it is necessary to have information about the" portrait " of a young drug addict.

Narcologists offer parents some signs to determine the likely predisposition of a teenager to the consumption of intoxicating substances:

• low resistance to physical overload and stress;
• self-doubt, low self-esteem;
• difficulties in communicating with peers on the street;
• anxiety, tension in communication at school or college;
• the desire to get new sensations, pleasure, and as quickly as possible and in any way;
• excessive dependence on friends, easy subordination to the opinion of acquaintances, uncritical willingness to imitate the lifestyle of a friend;
• behavioral abnormalities caused by brain injuries, infections, or congenital diseases, including those associated with brain pathology;
• intolerance of conflicts, the desire to escape into the illusory world of well-being;
• burdened heredity — diseases of the father (mother) with drug addiction or alcoholism.

Remember! Sometimes it's enough just to talk to your child. Provide support to the teenager, no matter what the circumstances are — it is vital for him. Show and tell your children that you love them, no matter what!

Deputy Chief Physician
GUZ "Lipetsk regional narcological dispensary"
Afanasyeva Tatyana Alexandrovna.