THE IMPACT OF DRUGS ON STUDENTS

Drug and alcohol use on college campuses is universal. Students articulate many
reasons why they do it, but most neglect to consider both the long-term consequences of
their actions. Teenagers today admit to extensive experimentation. According to one study,
90 percent of teens said that they have used alcohol, over 50 percent have used marijuana,
17 percent have used cocaine and 13 percent have used some form of hallucinogenic drug.
Drug use has been classified as a major problem of students as early as in the fourth grade.
Consequently, it is no surprise that substance use is prolific on college campuses, where
many young adults are free from adult supervision for the first time in their lives.

Drugs Percentage (%) of Student

Alcohol 90
Marijuana 50
Cocaine 17
Other drugs 13

Alcohol causes over 100,000 deaths per year. We may falsely believe that we are “safe”
because we live in a small city of Dhaka and these issues don’t really affect us, but the truth
is it does affect us because in the long run it affects the society. Statistics shows that:
1• Drug and alcohol abuse is the leading cause of death for people between the ages of
15 and 24
2• 95% of all college campus violence is related to alcohol and drugs
3• 28% of all college dropouts are alcoholics or takes drugs and 40% of all college
students having academic problems
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Some feel pressured to use drugs at social gatherings either because everyone else seems
to be doing it, or because they believe it’s the cool thing to do. Others believe that drug
offers a way to escape from school or work related stress, financial worries or relationship
problems. Some feel that alcohol or drugs provide a way to compensate for feelings of
shyness or low self-esteem. Sometimes, these drugs act as a substitute for satisfying
relationships, educational accomplishments or self-fulfillment.

College students often forget why they are supposed to be in school. Substance abuse can
seriously affect academic performance. Aside from long-term addiction (or possible
emptying you bank account) it can cause grades to plummet. Substance use affects the
entire body, including your brain, in a variety of ways. Judgment is often the first attribute
to be affected. We may find it difficult to make good decisions, to make them quickly or to
be realistic. Suddenly, it becomes much easier to wait until the last minute to cram for that
exam or to crank out that paper. We may also find having difficulty concentrating and
paying attention, especially in class or trying to study.

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 Nutritional deficits can result from extended or heavy substance use, and these
deficiencies can affect your attention, concentration and ability to get along with
others, as well as lead to memory loss and have lost because you were out partying
all night and were too hung-over the next day difficulty coping with everyday stressors.

If taking drugs makes people feel good or better, what are the problems?

At first, people may perceive what seem to be positive effects with drug use. They also may
believe that they can control their use; however, drugs can quickly take over their lives.
Consider how a social drinker can become intoxicated, put himself behind a wheel and
quickly turn a pleasurable activity into a tragedy for him and others. Over time, if drug use
continues, pleasurable activities become less pleasurable, and drug abuse becomes
necessary for abusers to simply feel "normal." Drug abusers reach a point where they seek
and take drugs, despite the tremendous problems caused for themselves and their loved
ones. Some individuals may start to feel the need to take higher or more frequent doses,
even in the early stages of their drug use.

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 Supervision Family Parental Monitoring and Support
Substance Abuse Peer Academic Competence
Drug Availability School Anti-Drug Use Policies
Poverty Community Strong Neighborhood Attachment

Is continued drug abuse a voluntary behavior?

The initial decision to take drugs is mostly voluntary. However, when drug abuse takes
over, a person's ability to exert self-control can become seriously impaired. Brain imaging
studies from drug-addicted individuals show physical changes in areas of the brain that are
critical to judgment, decision-making, learning and memory, and behavior control.
Scientists believe that these changes alter the way the brain works, and may help explain the
compulsive and destructive behaviors of addiction.

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 No single factor determines whether a person will become
addicted to drugs.

Why do some people become addicted to drugs, while others do not?

As with any other disease, vulnerability to addiction differs from person to person. In
general, the more risk factors an individual has, the greater the chance that taking drugs will
lead to abuse and addiction. "Protective" factors reduce a person's risk of developing
addiction.

What factors determine if a person will become addicted?

No single factor determines whether a person will become addicted to drugs. The overall
risk for addiction is impacted by the biological makeup of the individual - it can even be
influenced by gender or ethnicity, his or her developmental stage, and the surrounding
social environment (e.g., conditions at home, at school, and in the neighborhood).

Which biological factors increase risk of addiction?

Scientists estimate that genetic factors account for between 40 and 60 percent of a person's
vulnerability to addiction, including the effects of environment on gene expression and
function. Adolescents and individuals with mental disorders are at greater risk of drug abuse
and addiction than the general population.

What environmental factors increase the risk of addiction?

• Home and Family. The influence of the home environment is usually most
important in childhood. Parents or older family members who abuse alcohol or drugs,
or who engage in criminal behavior, can increase children's risks of developing their
own drug problems.
• Peer and School. Friends and acquaintances have the greatest influence during
adolescence. Drug-abusing peers can sway even those without risk factors to try drugs
for the first time. Academic failure or poor social skills can put a child further at risk
for drug abuse.

What other factors increase the risk of addiction?

• Early Use. Although taking drugs at any age can lead to addiction, research
shows that the earlier a person begins to use drugs the more likely they are to progress
to more serious abuse. This may reflect the harmful effect that drugs can have on the
developing brain; it also may result from a constellation of early biological and social

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 vulnerability factors, including genetic susceptibility, mental illness, unstable
family relationships, and exposure to physical or sexual abuse. Still, the fact
remains that early use is a strong indicator of problems ahead, among them,
substance abuse and addiction.

• Method of Administration. Smoking a drug or injecting it into a vein increases

its addictive potential. Both smoked and injected drugs enter the brain within seconds,
producing a powerful rush of pleasure. However, this intense "high" can fade within a
few minutes, taking the abuser down to lower, more normal levels. It is a starkly felt
contrast, and scientists believe that this low feeling drives individuals to repeated drug
abuse in an attempt to recapture the high pleasurable state.

The brain continues to develop into adulthood and undergoes dramatic changes
during adolescence.

One of the brain areas still maturing during adolescence is the prefrontal cortex - the part
of the brain that enables us to assess situations, make sound decisions, and keep our
emotions and desires under control. The fact that this critical part of an adolescent's brain
is still a work-in-progress puts them at increased risk for poor decisions (such as trying
drugs or continued abuse). Thus, introducing drugs while the brain is still developing may
have profound and long-lasting consequences.

Today a very famous drug called Yaba is affecting our society especially the students
reading in English medium. After taking this drug we do not feel sleepy for 2-3 days. It
was mainly used for military use during the wars because they need to stay awake for 2-3
days in a war but of course there is a limit of taking this drug in this purpose. Recently
Yaba was available in the market and people started taking it. Students mainly take it for
the enjoyment of being awake at night. However they really forgot the long run effects any
drugs have in our body and mind.

Although the Bangladesh Government is taking necessary steps to stop this thing and
though they are succeeding still there is a long way to go before it is really stopped as it
has a huge chain of supplier.

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While substance abuse is a serious problem that can affect your academic, personal
and professional life very seriously, it is also a treatable problem. Many sources are
available to provide help. Counseling and Psychological Services, Alcoholics
Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, local spiritual leader or family doctor can all provide
us with the information needed to obtain the services that are best suited and they can also
help us with it.

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