Drug Abuse Among Adolescent

Drugs have been used throughout the entire human history for a variety of reasons, such reasons as treatment, prevention and diagnosis of illnesses. The benefits derived from drugs prescribed by a physician and taken in accordance to prescriptions for outweigh the possible risks involved in their abuse. Drug is considered dangerous and unacceptable to the society when it is used for a purpose order that what is medically legitimate and create problems affecting the society by making their abuses behave abnormally, doing what they would not do if they were in their normal and natural state. This certainly affects the social and economic well-being of the society.

The purpose of this study, which was to verify drug use among adolescents in Uyo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom has been realized and certain facts established. Such facts as influence of peer group and the need for self-esteem enhancement. Most youths turn to drugs in seeking for escape from pain, fatigue, anxiety, poverty, failure and frustrations, that there are well defined risks related to the abuse of drugs. Some drugs notably cocaine and amphetamines stimulate the central Nervous System (CNS), others such as Narcotics depress the action of the brain, that associated with drug abuse is the cause of high incidence of armed robbery and their forms of violent crimes for so long a time now in Nigeria, that excessive drug usage is the cause of many road accidents and the reason why there are so many mentally retarded youths in our society today.

Most our young ones sincerely ignore these potential dangers associated with drug abuse and contentedly consume a substantial amount of drugs as often as they wish. This research thus points out that all drugs are dangerous when taken overdose or illicitly, therefore, youths, and indeed people should not use drugs without medical prescription by a physician.