Substance abuse among the youth now a worrying trend
Social media has recently been flooded by images and videos of young people indulging in substance abuse.
What you need to know:
- Social media has recently been flooded by images and videos of young people indulging in substance abuse.
- Some use these drugs to numb the pain of their struggles while others simply want to fit in with their peers.
It is every parent’s dream to take their child through school for pre-primary all the way to university.
They then do whatever is necessary to realise this dream while at the same time protecting their children from anything that might deter their plans.
But what happens when they join university and are no longer under their parent’s supervision?
We have lost brilliant students in our campuses. These students perform well in their Standard Eight and Form Four final exams and are the pride of their families and communities but, once they join universities, things drastically change for the worst for some of them.
Social media has recently been flooded by images and videos of young people indulging in substance abuse and some were even presumed to be dead.
In my efforts to try and figure out why they use these substances, I asked one of them why he does it and he defensively said: “I’m not an addict.”
Creating more problems
Granted, using these drugs once doesn’t make you an addict. But, to come home inebriated everyday; where do you think you will end up?
Some use these drugs to numb the pain of their struggles while others simply want to fit in with their peers. What they forget is that, in an effort to numb their pain, they are creating more problems for themselves as this habit will impact their health and finances.
They also forget that, once they leave campus, they will be on their own and the people they ruined their lives trying to impress probably have trust funds and jobs waiting for them.
They, on the other hand, will be left with nothing but shame and poor grades.
I am in no way saying that the youth should lead boring lives, but they should enjoy their youth responsibly. They should settle for ways that will not have disastrous effects on their health. If they decide otherwise, then our future is in jeopardy as these are the leaders of tomorrow. The future is literally in their hands.
Tracy Bonareri, 20, is a journalism and digital media student at KCA University.
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