DRUGS IN N.NOVGOROD
Dope addiction is a ubiquitous and tremendous burden that has been posing complicated problems to the world society. Many cities are smothered by the number of drug addicts. Unfortunately, our city and its region are no exception. According to the statistics, the region is considered to be a troublesome one. Moreover, a tendency for rejuvenation aggravates this downcast situation. The ‘rejuvenation’ means that the number of children and teenagers who are using drugs has drastically increased.
Seeing the danger, the authorities of N.Novgorod cannot just sit back; they propose and implement different measures to decrease the number of addicts. For example, they monitor the overall situation and its development, keep track of people with dope addiction, and organize many social events promoting to a substance-free lifestyle among different groups of people. Moreover, there are more than 20 medical centers that provide professional help for people suffering from addiction. Although not all of them meet the general requirements in terms of their condition and facilities, these centers have successfully managed to assist the needy. The government, in its turn, can offer some financial support to such places increasing their productivity.
Unfortunately, the aforementioned actions cannot be described as fully sufficient. However, they facilitate the efficient flow of fighting the problem. Due to this, for the last two years, the drug situation in the Nizhny Novgorod region is said to be stable.
There comes a question: what else can be done to change the statistics, to make it go down?
From my point of view, one of the most effective ways to solve the problem is to provide a sustainable fact-based drug education at schools. If teens and young adults, who, to everyone’s dismay, are more exposed to experimenting with drugs and, therefore, constitute the majority of addicts, know the infamous facts about drugs, they are less likely to resort to using them. Engaging students in drug education activities promotes resilience and assists them to make healthy and safe choices avoiding being involved in potentially jeopardizing situations.
By the terms ‘drug education’ and ‘drug education activities’ I imply organizing special classes and meetings. These classes should not be compulsory but they need to be conducted in such a way so students would join them of their own accord. Therefore, an effective drug education program is realized not by torturing students with tedious lectures about the negative side of drugs but rather by creating a learning environment that contains highly interactive and relevant content engaging students in problem-solving and critical thinking. For example, young adults may get together and talk to a person who has experienced severe withdrawal and can share their feelings and regrets (the person must be accountable and credible.) Or they can meet with the mother of an addict and listen to her story. The main aim is not to tell them that drugs are evil but to allow them to come to the same conclusion themselves. Moreover, it will be great if schools develop an extracurricular activity plan for their students to be preoccupied with a hobby they are passionate about. That also can help to reduce the risk of getting involved with substance use.
Another powerful means to boost teenagers’ awareness of drugs being a bad thing is rooted in mass media and social influencing. Nowadays many celebrities consistently post pictures of themselves drinking and getting high on a variety of platforms and by doing that they glamorize such behavior. Bearing in mind that this age group is highly susceptible to any kind of impact, why not convert the phenomenon into something positive? Let’s organize bigger events, festivals starring some powerful influencers who promote a healthy lifestyle!
Together we can change the world for the better!
Stay safe,
Elena
