PREFACE

The primary objective of this assignment is to provide the basic concepts and
information on drug addiction which need to know all people for their younger
youth. This assignment reflects a specific concern to present drug addiction
condition which certainly destroying our younger youth.

Actually, Drug addiction is a complex illness. It is characterized by intense and,

at times, uncontrollable drug craving, along with compulsive drug seeking and
use that persist even in the face of devastating consequences.

Today’s youth face many risks, including drug abuse, violence, and HIV/AIDS.
Responding to these risks before they become problems can be difficult. One of
the goals of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is to help the public
understand the causes of drug abuse and to prevent its onset. Drug abuse has
serious consequences in our homes, schools, and communities. From NIDA’s
perspective, the use of all illicit drugs and the inappropriate use of licit drugs are
considered drug abuse.

I am pleased to offer my brief idea to this assignment how Drug addiction could
destroy our younger youth: A Research-Based Concept for my honorable “ENG
131” course instructor Md. Shahrear Talukder for creating the floor to enhance
my acquaintance.

I thank all the people who have help to prepare this assignment. Comment,
constructive criticism and suggestion from any related item are most welcome.

Md. Rafiul Hasan

Student
Faculty of Business Studies
ASA University Bangladesh

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First, I would like to thank almighty Allah for helping me in every aspect of this
assignment. Thank my honorable course Instructor Md. Shahrear Talukder for
providing appropriate guideline and helping me. Then I am grateful to my
friends who gave me an outstanding mental support while preparing the
assignment about “Drug Addiction Our Younger Youth”. I have tried my level
best to accomplish the study as per requirements. I believe that this study will
serve its best purpose.

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Serial No Topics Page Number

01. Cover Letter
02. Frontispiece
03. Title Page
04. Preface
05. Acknowledgement
06. Table of Contents
07. Summary
08. Introduction
09. Discussion
10. Conclusion
11. Recommendation
12. List of Reference

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 SUMMARY

Drugs were used by primitive people in religious rituals to combat or naturalize

various taboos. Throughout the ages significant numbers of substances were
used to treats disease but only a few of these substances had only direct
influences on the symptom of disease. The American Indians extracted drugs
like medicine from desserts plants, to enable them to communicate with their
dead ancestors. Continued study and refinement of this product give medical
science a great variety of drugs and medicines unfortunately many of these
substance have dangerous and damaging effects on the body used
indiscriminately. As there is increased use of such drugs by the medical
professionals there is growing tendencies for the people in general to use drugs
without prescription or medical purpose.

Drug addiction has become a major social problem in Bangladesh. In a

developing country lives Bangladesh incidence of drug addiction increasing day
by day. It was a problem of developed country beforehand, but now it is one of
the important social problem of country trapped by this addiction it will affects
the future of our country. It is spreading like mushroom & invading the every
level of our nation like home, educational institution & affecting individuals of
all classes. Increasing numbers of drug addiction not only decrease the
economical development of a country but also directly related to increased
incidence of crime, unexpected violence and corruption. Easy availability of
drugs is a major cause of prevalence of drug addiction. Peer pressure is
generally considered to be an important factor in the initiation of taking drugs.
ESCAP (Economic and Social Commission of Asia and the Pacific) showed
that in 1989 there were 10,000 heroin addicts in Bangladesh. But the no. of
addicts is increasing day by day.

Marijuana was perceived as the most accepted drug and the least harmful
substance given it is a natural product. Focus group participants recognize
alcohol as a drug which causes harm but accept its use by youth. Crystal meth
was perceived by group participants to be a very harmful and highly addictive
drug. When asked whether crystal meth was a problem in their community, four
of the five groups said yes; one of the five said it was during the summer, but
was not a problem now. Participants at each of the groups described in great
detail the physiological and social harm caused from crystal meth use. To make
the banned or banish could lead to save our younger youth.

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 INTRODUCTION

Drug addiction is a dependence on a street drug or a medication. When you're

addicted, you may not be able to control your drug use and you may continue
using the drug despite the harm it causes. Drug addiction can cause an intense
craving for the drug. You may want to quit, but most people find they can't do it
on their own.

Not everyone who uses drugs becomes addicted, but for many what starts as
casual use leads to drug addiction. Drug addiction can cause serious, long-term
consequences including problems with physical and mental health,
relationships, employment and the law.

Drug Addiction for some refers to a disease while many believe that it is just a
matter of will or choice. We take addiction to be learned behavior. However the
contemporary science has tried to shed light on the pathological background of
the addiction, giving a new thought to the world. It suggests that like another
disease, it is a brain disease that develops over time. Repeatedly using drugs
brings certain fundament structural and functional changes in the brain that
continue long even after the individual stops using them.

The evidence suggests that these long-lasting brain changes are responsible for
the distortions of cognitive and emotional functioning that characterize addicts.
It is as if drugs control the brain’s natural motivational control circuits, resulting
in drug use becoming the sole, or at least the top, priority for the individual.

There is much public debate on this brain-based view of addiction as some

people wrongly think that it somehow releases the addicts from responsibility
point of view, for their own behavior. However in spite of this belief, the
biological and behavioral explanations are not only an alternative way to
understand this phenomenon, they are in fact an incorporate part of the whole
picture.

It is beyond doubt that drug-addiction always plays havoc with the life of the
addict as well as with the society in which he lives. It not only spoils all the
social norms but also causes irreparable loss to its victim’s generation after
generation.

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 DISCUSSION

Addiction is defined as a chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized

by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences. It is
considered a brain disease because drugs change the brain - they change its
structure and how it works. These brain changes can be long lasting, and can
lead to the harmful behaviors seen in people who abuse drugs.

Drugs were used by primitive people in religious rituals to combat or naturalize

various taboos. Throughout the ages significant numbers of substances were
used to treats disease but only a few of these substances had only direct
influences on the symptom of disease. The American Indians extracted drugs
like medicine from desserts plants, to enable them to communicate with their
dead ancestors. Continued study and refinement of this product give medical
science a great variety of drugs and medicines unfortunately many of these
substance have dangerous and damaging effects on the body used
indiscriminately. As there is increased use of such drugs by the medical
professionals there is growing tendencies for the people in general to use drugs
without prescription or medical purpose.

Medical use of drugs has always existed in Bangladesh as in elsewhere but the
present form of drug dependence among the youth of the country was little

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known to people before 1960.The abuse of Heroine was first detected in Dhaka
in 1984.In the economically deprived communities cannabis, depressants and
opiates were found to be the agent of choice & among more affluent young
person cannabis, LSD and depressants were used extensively.

In 1994 the Bangladesh Govt. banned the consumption of opium and closed the
opium vendering in the country. Bangladesh experienced a dramatic change in
this field during last decade. An early identification of cause of drug addiction
might be helpful in developing a program for reduction and prevention of the
problem in the country.

Drugs addiction is harmful not only for the addicted but also has negative
impact on the fabric of the society. The effects of such an addiction can cause
dangerous changes in the mind, body and spirit of the drug addict. The most
disturbing aspect of drug addiction is that it is reaching epidemic proportions in
the whole world. People in our part of the world are increasingly becoming
addicted to all kinds of drugs including street drugs and prescription drugs etc.

Street drugs include cocaine, heroin and crack, marijuana and meth, while
prescription drugs include those such as Valium, OxyContin, Percocet and
Ritalin etc. The price of drugs can be very heavy. Simple ill-effects of such
addiction include physical itchiness, coma and even premature death. On the
other hand, the psychological ill effects can make a person become completely
dependent on taking drugs in order to survive.

Drugs addiction is a very serious problem and even if the addict is using
prescribed drugs, the ill effects can be very harmful indeed. It is, therefore,
important that the government takes administrative, legal and policy measures
that put an end to the menace of drug addiction. The right kind of information
can help the addict avoid overdosing and it can also prevent medical-related
complications.

The ill effects of addiction to drugs can be very difficult to endure, which is
why the addict must be treated for their condition at the earliest. A lot of
research is being done on how addiction to drugs harms people and societies.
An individual that takes drugs will expect certain changes to take place in his
being.

In the US, addiction to drugs is quite widespread. One study on this problem
revealed that one in every five American aged between sixteen and fifty nine

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had used at least one drug. What’s more is that about half (46 percent) of
Americans, aged between 16 and 21, admitted having used drugs in different
phases of their life. Even more worrying is the fact that approximately twenty
million people, aged above twelve years, have used illegal drugs in the US. In
fact, about 1.47 percent of Americans are addicted to drugs.

North America, which includes USA and Canada and even Mexico, has a major
drugs addiction problem. The problem is no less dangerous in Central America
where countries such as Belize, Guatemala and Nicaragua are major centers for
drug abuse.

Drugs addiction in Pakistan is no less worrisome. Though its neighbors (India,

Bangladesh and Maldives as well as Nepal) all have drugs addiction issues,
Pakistan is the worst affected throughout South Asia. It is, after all, home to the
largest market for heroin consumption. What’s more, Pakistan is also a major
exporter of heroin and in fact, approximately fifty tons of opium is illegally
brought into Pakistan to produce heroin.

Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and even Sri Lanka all have
major issues with use of drugs. Afghanistan, for example, has about 28,513,677
drug addicts, while Bangladesh has 141, 340, 476 addicts. India has a staggering
1,065, 070,607 drug users, while Pakistan has 159, 196, 336 addicts.

The worst thing about being addicted to drugs is that it is affecting the youth in
every part of the world in a major way. The trouble starts among the school-
going children but the problem is exacerbated with abetment by those who wish
to earn money out of selling drugs. The problem among children and youth
arises because of a perception that they seem to harbor the notion of their
inadequacy for failing to measure up to their expectations of their elders.
Nowadays it has become fashionable for the actors and singers to include tales
of drugs addiction and sexual references in their music. So instead of
inculcating good values in the youth, the entertainment industry is responsible
for propagating the use of drugs, which is further fuelling the addiction to drugs
in the both the developed and developing world.

The youth has become the target of major drug peddlers. These peddlers sell
drugs and package them as symbols of revolution and freshness but have no
regard for the consequences of their actions. The youth that takes to drugs are
more likely to commit suicide because of the harmful effects of the drugs they
are taking. Misinformation about drugs is another reason for these deaths as the

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addict or user may take the drugs in wrong doses, which can then lead to a
fatality.

Drugs addiction among the youth is killing them morally and socially as well as
psychologically and even physically. And, drug barons are becoming
increasingly wealthier by supplying these drugs that are causing untold misery.

It is time that societies and governments took a firmer view about preventing
and stopping drugs addiction. There should be a community plan that should be
implemented to stop addiction to drugs. This plan must identify the specific
drugs that youth are using. It should build on existing resources such as existing
drug abuse prevention programs and it should also develop short-term goals
relevant to proper implementation of research- based drug abuse prevention
programs.

In addition, the community plan must project its long term objectives to ensure
that resources are made available and in addition, the community plan must also
incorporate ongoing assessments to evaluate the effectiveness of their
preventive measures and strategies.

In fact, all preventive measures need to address different forms of drug abuse
and addiction and should also target different types of drug abuse and
addictions. It should also be tailored to address risks that are specific to certain
populations or audience characteristics. It must be aimed at specific populations
and at major transition points such as at middle-school level.

Unless serious measures are taken now, the very future of a large chunk of
today’s youth will be severely compromised. The problem of drug addiction is
too real and serious to be ignored. The governments need to involve
communities and media in highlighting the perils associated with the drug
addiction. Media has a responsibility to highlight such issues with a view to
educating people and building a consensus among them to forge a united stand
against such scourges. The perpetrators of doom and gloom are well entrenched
in the power structures and have formed transnational partnerships for their
nefarious purposes. The response to deal with such an organized menace should
also be concerted for effective output. It calls for sustained engagement and
coordinated action among countries. Individual efforts cannot produce desired
results. For long have we have turned a blind eye to such critical issues. It is
now time to be responsible in our actions.

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 • Pain Pill Addiction Treatment;

Pain pill addiction is an innocuous attempt for the simple goal of leading a pain
free life. However, it can have grave consequences even summing up to one’s
death. Hence, it is very important that we take some of the few steps in
understand why it occurs and how it can be prevented or treated.

• Pain Pill Addiction Can Have Serious Side Effects;

Pain Pill Addiction or Pain killer abuse is a very common occurrence among
orthopedic patients. These patients generally belong to the elderly age group
and have chronic diseases, like arthritis, back pain, and so on; for which they
cannot find a permanent cure. They tend to assume that taking painkiller pills is
the only way they can lead a pain free life.

• Treatment centre;

This new approach doesn’t attempt to erase the personal responsibility of the
addicts to participate in and take ownership for their own recovery. However

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this brain disease does not erase self-control, but it does significantly erode
one’s ability to exert control over his or her behavior. This helps explain why an
addict cannot simply stop using drugs by sheer force of will alone and must
receive treatment like any other mental disease.

The message from the now very broad and deep array of scientific evidence is
absolutely clear. If we as a society ever hope to make any real progress in
dealing with drug problems, we are going to have to rise above the moral
outrage that addicts have “done it to themselves” and develop strategies that are
as sophisticated and as complex as the problem itself.

• Risk Factors:
 Genetic/Inherited;

We are all a product of our parents. If your parents have addiction

struggles, chances are you are more susceptible to addiction. That’s why drug
addiction is more common in some families than in others. If your parents
smoke, chances are good you will smoke. If your parents used alcohol, you’ll
probably follow and use that drug in much the same way. If your father was an
alcoholic, you have a predisposition to abusing that drug.

Drug addiction causes one generation to pass it on to the next.

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  Personality;

Aside from the inherited factors, some people have a personality that is
more likely to become drug dependent.

- People are curious, so that alone can lead a person to try a drug. We
experiment and see what happens.

- We are looking to relax and have pleasure.

- We all want to feel good, and we’re by nature impatient. Drugs give us an
instant gratification that other things do not, so for that moment or hour of for
whatever time-frame, we feel good.

- We want what we want.

- Someone diagnosed with depression, attention deficit disorder, or

hyperactivity.

- Maybe there has been some stress, or anxiety in their life. Whatever the case,
these are contributing factors.

Even some common personality characteristics, such as aggression, may be a

factor. Children who do not have confidence, healthy self-esteem may be prone
to turning to drugs to fill the void.

Drug addiction causes negative changes in personality that can lead to an even
more destructive behavior.

 Peer Pressure/Social;

We are all wired to have relationships, and sometimes those relationships

cause us to give in to something we otherwise would avoid in order to maintain
the relationship. Peer pressure is huge and nowhere is this greater than during
our teenaged years. Kids want to be cool. It begins as a social action, to take the
drugs to be a part of the group, to be accepted. It’s not just teenagers, as peer
pressure takes so many different forms. There is social etiquette, for example, to
take a drink during a party. “I’m a social drinker.” How many times have you
heard that? Some people actually believe that drug addiction causes you to be
accepted and part of the 'popular' group.

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  Easy Access;

If you want to get drugs, you won’t have to look far because they are
everywhere. High school students can tell you this. Drug addiction causes
people to sell drugs to the most vulnerable population, children. It’s not just the
stereotypical poor sections of the inner city that serve as the hotbed for drugs.
Drugs are found in suburban shopping malls, rural schools, and well-to-do
private school, on the job in factories, offices and remote job sites.

 Race, Ethnicity;

We include this heading because we want to stress that there is no data to

support any claim that one race of people or any particular cultural group is
more prone to drug addiction than another. Drug addiction is a human problem
and crosses all boundaries. Drug addiction causes do not include race.

 Loneliness, Depression;

We want to feel good physically and emotionally. Sometimes drugs are

the substitution for a healthy life experience. The person in pain and they want
to numb the pain. The drug numbs the pain and for a moment they don’t feel as
poorly. The person needs to escape the pain of the life experience, and for a
short while, the drug takes them away and they feel “better.”

 Anxiety;

Sometimes people need some help coping with life. Everyday life
becomes a struggle and simple things become too much to handle. Drugs are
used to deal with it. In the case of addiction, we are not talking about the use of
medication, under the care and observation of a doctor. People who have been
clinically diagnosed with anxiety can lead a very good life. We’re talking here
about people who just need to escape. Their drug of choice facilitates that
escape.

 Additional Risk Factors;

There are many contributing factors to drug addiction, which may give us
some insight into why one person becomes addicted and another person does
not. Ask yourself a few questions.

 Are they unhappy or angry, for example, and if they are, is there an
external source of irritation or are they just like that naturally?

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  Are there factors in their life that may cause them to seek relief, such as
financial pressures, problems at work, loss of a loved one or other
negative experiences?

EXAMPLES OF RISK AND PROTECTIVE FACTORS

Risk Factors Domain Protective Factors

Early Aggressive Behavior Individual Self-Control

Poor Social Skills Individual Positive Relationships

Lack of Parental
Family Parental Monitoring and Support
Supervision

Substance Abuse Peer Academic Competence

Drug Availability School Anti-Drug Use Policies

Communit Strong Neighborhood

Poverty
y Attachment

That leads them to try drugs, and might be the beginning of becoming addicted
to a certain drug because it meets a desire. People naturally want to relax and
have a good time, but people are often impatient and drugs will provide instant
gratification. Over time, the drugs become the only way a person can relax, or
feel good.

There is a genetic risk factor to drug abuse and drug addiction. Just as you have
inherited your parent’s physical characteristics, you have also inherited their
chemical characteristics. If mom and dad used drugs, chances are high you will
too, and addiction, like any other disease, runs in families. Most people have an
alcohol link in their family tree, so even if the parents did not use, there was an
aunt or uncle, etc. The alcohol use is often the first step towards the use of
drugs, so one generation might have abused alcohol and their children might
abuse illegal drugs.

We are all wired to have relationships, and sometimes those relationships cause
us to give in to something we otherwise would avoid in order to maintain the
relationship.

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 CONCLUSION

The students of College and University are the active in studying for this they
have general knowledge in medicine. So if they have proper knowledge about
drug addiction then they can propagate this knowledge to the general people of
Bangladesh. They can also motivate patients in ward and in surrounding general
public through health education about drug addiction. And every person must
award about the bed effect of drug addiction on individual and our younger
youth, also as a burden on the country.

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RECOMMENDATION

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 LIST OF REFERENCE

1. www.google.com

 www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00030927.htm

 www.childhealthpolicy.sfu.ca/research.../RR-15-07-full-report

 www.teen-drug-abuse.org

 www.heretohelp.bc.ca/publications/factsheets/youth-su

2. www.wikipedia.com

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teen_Challenge

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_Cobain

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3. Park JE. Park K: Alcoholism and dreg dependence Park’s Text
book of Preventive and social medical 17th edition Jabalpur,
India 2003: 600, 483.

4. Scharse, Robert 1966 Cassation Patterns among neophyte heroin

users. The International Journal of the Addictions. 1.

5. Smart, Reginald 1975-Spontaneous recovery in alcoholics: a review

and analysis available 1976 research. Drug and Alcohol
Dependence.1 (4)

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