Nearly 40pc students drug addicted: Study
Nearly 40 percent students between the ages of 15 and 30 have inclined towards different forms of drug addiction and other crimes in country's educational institutions, says a study of Department of Narcotic Control (DNC) of Bangladesh.
This trend of drug addiction is no more limited within university levels but has already contaminated boys in schools and colleges, the study found.
According to the study, both female and male medical students, a highly educated subgroup, are addicted to drugs in large numbers as they have access to pharmaceutical opiates like codeine-based medications.
The study found that most students justify their addictions with depression. They live in hostels and have little opportunity for recreation, as they are too busy with their studies, it adds.
They do not have access to any kind of extracurricular activities and spend most of their free time with each other, consequently becoming emotionally dependent on each other, said the study.
Sometimes their friendships or romantic relationships fail and therefore supplemented with drugs, it adds.
It said, among all the adults, nearly half of them are exposed to second hand smoking at public places such as restaurants and public transportations, two major common places of smoking in Bangladesh.
Another cause of drug addiction is peer pressure, the study said.
Curiosity is a normal tendency in human beings, especially among teenagers. Unwanted events and refusals can make one lose confidence resulting into the use of drugs, it said.
The study shows that young people belonging to the higher class of society take alcohol and other drugs to maintain 'status' in friend circles and gradually become more addicted to these drugs.
Another important cause of drug addiction, said the study, is the availability of drugs as law enforcement agencies are not being able to stop drug dealing and trafficking.
Sometimes young people are motivated by political figures, related to drug trafficking, to take drugs, the study said.
Unemployment is also another reason why many young people get frustrated, land into depression and eventually use drugs, said the study, adding that unemployed people are sometimes associated with criminal acts.
Dhaka University (DU) Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr AAMS Arefin Siddique said, “Such frustrations mainly emerge, among other reasons, due to the absence of care by their parents and guardians in this fast moving society.
“This makes young men desperate in their personal lives.
“Effective remedies to divert them from this vicious circle and towards the realm of light is to involve them in creative pursuits like writing in magazines, taking part in seminars, discussions and other creative activities.”
Eminent psychologist Dr Mehtab Khanam of DU said it is very much important to appoint psychologists at educational institutions as done in foreign countries.
She said, “Psychologists can suggest to discipline students as well as play a vital role on policy making of the respective institutions.”
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