The opportunity to be born as a human is a rare occurrence. If there is one component which makes people to end their lives prematurely and cause destruction to others; that is called drugs and alcohol. The drug and alcohol use, commonly known as social drinking, has developed into a social menace in Sri Lanka today.
Exposure to drugs and alcohol has a direct impact on physical, mental, economic, and social wellbeing of the human. The impact on the physical and mental health caused cannot be ignored as it has a fatal consequence in both the short and long term. Any alcohol contains a certain amount of ethyl, from which a person becomes intoxicated. Methyl produced as a by-product of substandard alcohol such as “Kasippu” produced in rural distilleries without following proper standards, will cause serious health problems to the human body. No matter what the amount is, alcohol in the body creates reactive results after going through a metabolic process. The long-term use of alcohol has a severe impact on the brain function. This can cause dysfunctional activities of the brain, damage the nerve function of the legs, swelling of the heart, kidney, and liver dysfunction as well as blindness. The risk of developing Cirrhosis is very high due to damage to liver cells caused by regular alcohol intake. The living will stop functioning and cannot be cured. This condition is fatal as the patient loses his memory. Water gets clogged in the intestines, germ attacks in intestines can make the fatal condition and meltdown of muscles and memory loss are some of the adverse effects of alcohol consumption.
When categorizing drugs and alcohol, some people think there will be a sexual stimulation when consuming alcohol. However, the doctors say there is no truth into this. People use this term just to cover up their misbehavior. This will only cause sexual impotency. Especially, nicotine in cigarettes has a greater impact on this condition. Form the social point of view any attempt that can have an adverse impact on the wellbeing of individuals, or the society, can be considered anti-social activity. Sociologists define it as a crime. Crimes can be categorized as bodily harmful crimes and crimes related to property. Crimes related to drugs is a bodily harmful crime since using drugs is illegal, it becomes a crime against property too.
Soon after consumption, a significant number of drugs and alcohol mixes with blood and runs through the central nervous system to cause the normal operations of it. This leads to a loss of the ability to plan, build ideas, self-controlling power and with the dysfunction of special partition of the brain that responsible for coordinating thinking and awareness, the man loses physical and mental ability and the balance. This condition has been scientifically proven to lead to vehicle accidents, sexual crime, and other criminal activities. When studying reports and data on crimes and their case studies it has been proven that majority of such cases are associated with alcohol.
At present the Sri Lankan youth are rapidly become victims of the deadly drug known as “ICE”. ICE or crystal methamphetamine is a stimulation drug. This is also called “Meth” or “Speed”. This drug is prescribed for obesity and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). Sri Lankans place this drug on a piece of glass and then heat it up. Then they inhale the smoke. it is considered a highly addictive drug. This will cause severe physical and mental disorders as well as excessive hunger, exhaustion and physical difficulties are the most common symptoms.
This proves that drugs and alcohol is a source of violence. However, the alcohol is widely known in the society as a social drink. “No harm in occasional drinking”, “It is fine to drink at a party”, “It is perfectly fine to take a beer”, “I am a social drinker” are some of the myths related to alcohol. The average age limits a person prone to drinking is between 15 and 19 years. There are occasions where youth as young as 14 years tend to take drugs. As the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board peer influence and the urge for seeking fun and excitement are the main reasons why youth take drugs. Some use drugs as a source of access to certain social strata. However, what is needed to mix and mingle with the society are the qualities of self-confidence and personality. Although, some say that a minimum of 20ml alcohol is required to expand the lifetime it has not been proven by any medical research. The state spends huge amounts of money for treatment and rehabilitation of drugs and alcohol addicts. There are several rehabilitation centers conducted by Non-government Organizations and the government throughout the country.
The media has an important role to play in the rehabilitation process of drug addicts. Most of the people who become victims of drugs or alcohol are unaware of adverse consequences. The media is the only source of information to educate the public about the mental, physical as well as social and economic disadvantages of excessive consumption of drugs and alcohol. Accordingly, the media can follow several steps to protect the youth from drugs and alcohol such as,
- Informing the public about multiple actions that can be taken for the rehabilitation of drug addicts,
- Explaining health issues and legal provisions regarding the use of drug and alcohol,
- Explaining the health issues with confidence,
- Ensuring the continuous awareness of the adverse impact of drugs and alcohol.
Therefore, the media should make sure that they communicate only virtuous information that can be beneficial to the society. They should have an independent set of rules against drugs and alcohol advertising and promoting. In addition, it is a responsibility of every citizen to contribute their fair share to eradicate drugs and alcohol.
Sandunika Rathnayake
Assistant Lecturer
Department of Sinhala and Mass Communication
References
https://www.bigstockphoto.com/image-235344817/stock-photo-depressed-bald-man-with-alcohol-glass
