Project – DRUG ABUSE AND IT’S HEALTH IMPLICATIONS AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN OKRIKA LOCAL GOVT AREA, IN RIVERS STATE

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1       Background of the Study

Psychoactive drugs are drugs that, when taken in or administered into one’s system, affect mental processes, e.g. perception, consciousness, cognition or mood and emotions. Psychoactive drugs belong to a broader category of psychoactive substances that include also alcohol and nicotine.  The abuse of drugs among adolescents has become a major national problem in Nigeria. The Adolescents who are expected to be leaders of tomorrow have been rendered useless to themselves and the societies in which they live, due to the impact of drug on them, thus, contributing to the increase in the number of psychiatric patients, street boys, school dropouts and delinquents. Drug abuse is a rapidly growing global problem (Lakhanpal, Agnihotri, 2007; United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime, 2007; Abudu, 2008). The problem of drug abuse poses a significant threat to the social, health, economic fabrics of the families, society and the entire nations (Giade, 2012; Oshodi, Aina & Onajole, 2010). Almost every country in the world is affected from one or more drug being abused by its citizens. The increased of drug abuse globally has brought problems such as increase in violence and crimes and diseases such as HIV/AIDS, collapse of the veins and collapse in the social structure (UNODC, 2007; Oshodi, Aina, & Onajole, 2010).

Horrible adolescentful activities are widespread in Nigeria to the extent that they have been giving a lot of concern to the society, government and other stake holders in Nigeria. In primary schools, peers engage in organized crimes and disrupt normal academic programs. In secondary schools, the activities of secret cults are known to have been source of threat to lives and property. In tertiary institutions, a lot of ritual killings are taking place. (Abudu, 2008; Oshodi, Aina, & Onajole, 2010). The impact of drug abuse among Nigerian adolescents has been a feature of a morally bankrupt, corrupt and wasted generation and loss of our societal values and ideals. The situation now appears to be such that no one can argue ignorance of what is happening (Abudu, 2008). “one cannot sit and pretend that he/she has not seen the menace of drug abuse among adolescents” (Hamisu, Ahmad & Lim, 2014). According to Giade, (2011), any nation being used by drug barons as a transit route has the potentials of becoming a drug abuse consumer‟s country, Drug abuse threatens the security of every nation, tearing apart the societies, spawning crime, spreading diseases such as AIDS, and killing adolescents and the future of the country”.

Odianose (2009) commented that, drug abuse is the “arbitrary” over dependence or misuse of one particular drug with or without a prior medical prescription from qualified health practitioners. Drug abuse may also be defined as the “arbitrary” over dependence or miss-use of one particular drug with or without a prior medical diagnosis from qualified health practitioners (Lakhanpal, & Agnihotri, 2007). Oluremi (2012) stated that Drug abuse is the harmful use of mind altering drugs. It added that the term usually refers to problem with illegal drugs, which also include harmful use of legal prescription drugs, Such as in self-medication. Majority of the Nigerian adolescents ignorantly or deliberately depend on one form of drug or the other for their various daily activities–social, educational, political, moral among others. Such drugs include: Tobacco, Indian hemp, cocaine, morphine, Heroine, Alcohol, ephedrine, Madras, Caffeine, Glue, Barbiturates, and Amphetamines. Other drug abused may include, Panadol, Benilyn, „Burukutu‟, or local beer, cigarette, solution, beer (Shehu, 2008). There is no doubt that the abuse of drug among adolescent in Nigeria, Nigeria has continued unabated, thereby creating a social and emotional problem for both users and the society because they have now become a burden to their families and the society. Socio-emotional behaviour is the expression of a person that can be in the form of positive or negative way. Samuel (2006), viewed negative socio-emotional behaviour as any condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics over a period of time and adversely affecting academic performance, e.g., inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationship with peers, pervasive mood of unhappiness and fears associated with personal or school work. Socio-emotional behaviour can be observed when a child is experiencing problem more severe than those experienced by most children, and when such child behaviour in school, home, and society becomes extremely difficult to cope with and the behaviour is strange and disturbing (Onu, 2016).

Secondary adolescents are individuals within the age range of 11-20. Usually, trial with drugs during this period (11–20 years) is common. At this age, they try so many new things. They use drugs for many reasons, including curiosity and desire to find out the effectiveness of a particular drug, to feels good, to reduce stress, or to feel grown up. Using alcohol and tobacco at a young age increase the risk of using other drugs later (Hamisu, Ahmad & Lim, 2014). In one of the WHO‟s and the World Heart Foundation‟s data, posit that in Nigeria, 22.1 percent of school adolescent age between 12 to 17 years use tobacco. Research studies however, have showed that when adolescent indulge in the use of hard drugs such as Indian hemp, the hard drug interferes with their feelings and brain and renders them not to remember what has been taught or learnt in the class. It was estimated that in 1997, 11.4% of adolescents between 12-17 years old in Sokoto State used illicit drugs such as Marijuana (Shehu, 2008). The fear is that adolescents are lured into early death from Cardio Vascular diseases (CVD), violence tendencies, suicide, emotional problems and other tobacco related diseases (Abudu, 2008; Giade, 2011). Already, Nigerian adolescents are being offered cigarettes through promotions and musical concerts. Some teens will experiment and stop, or continue to use occasionally without significant problems, others will develop addiction, moving on to more dangerous and hard drugs and causing considerable harm to themselves and the society at large. (Hamisu, Ahmad & Lim, 2014). Drug abuse could also be found among adolescent in Nigeria just like their counterpart from other areas. It was reported that 12 percent of pupils aged (11–15) had used drugs (Oshodi, Aina, & Onajole, 2010).

1.2       Statement of the Problem

Drug abuse and addictive behaviours are now regarded as a major public health and social problem; a universal phenomenon that extends across socio-economic, cultural, religion and ethnic boundaries. The extent of drug abuse has been a hallmark of a morally bankrupt and wasted generation, loss of societal values and ideals.

Based on observation, the researcher realized that adolescents abuse drugs and sometimes they became addicted to these drugs to the extent that it influences their social and emotional behaviour and their school activities. In addition, the researchers‟ interaction with teachers shows that adolescent in Nigeria usually start cigarette smoking and eventually mature to using other hard drugs. Peer pressure, personality traits, and social deprivation may also be contributing factors to drug abuse including unstable family life. The many consequences of drug abuse include suicide, increase in the level of absenteeism in school among adolescents involved in drug abuse, begging for money or stealing, crime, delinquency, homelessness and the spread of HIV infection as a result of substance users using shared syringes and needles.

Based on the above arguments and from the preliminary study revealed that about twenty-two percent of adolescents in Rivers state were engaged in drug abuse behaviour, the researcher thus found it relevant to carry out a study on drug abuse and it’s health implications among adolescents in Nigeria.

1.3       Objectives of the Study

The major objective of this study was to examine the drug abuse and it’s health implications among secondary school students in Okrika Local Govt Area, in Rivers State. The specific objectives are to:

1. Identify the predominant factors that lead to drug abuse among adolescent in Nigeria.
2. Assess the  influence  of drug abuse  on  social  behaviour  among  secondary  schools‟adolescents in Rivers State.
3. Assess the influence of drug abuse on emotional behaviour among adolescent in Nigeria.
4. Assess how drug abuse influence adolescents‟ school work in Rivers State.

Project – DRUG ABUSE AND IT’S HEALTH IMPLICATIONS AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN OKRIKA LOCAL GOVT AREA, IN RIVERS STATE