Role of Social Media in Creating Drug Abuse Essay

Fuzy The study looks for to establish the general trend of the drug problem and vitally analyse strategies used to treat the problem; tries to identify the role that twitter may play in creating knowing of the danger that drug abuse can bring to the culture in general and within Nigerian campuses particularly.

The results of this study will assist in evaluating if these tactics have the potential to help the government in curbing the drug difficulty among the youths, with a view to coming up with a even more comprehensive Plan for responding to the problem in schools. Info undergraduates in Nigeria who have do not have use of internet by way of computer right now do so through smart phones such as iPhones, BlackBerrys, pads, etc ., have Tweets accounts and are active users. Drug abuse among the list of undergraduates features endangered their very own lives. This is certainly causing a lot of concern, and it has been referred to as a major reason behind some of the concerns experienced possibly in Nigerian secondary universities.

Nigeria, while using other developing African countries, has been swept up with the indiscriminate use, misuse and dependence on drugs of numerous types. Within the university campuses, drug abuse is becoming an increasing trouble. INTRODUCTION The of the people has also been the history of substance abuse. In itself, the utilization of drugs does not constitute a great evil.

Drugs, properly implemented, have been a medical benefit. For example , herbal products, roots, start barking leaves and plants had been used to relieve pain that help control illnesses. However , within the last few decades, the usage of illegal medications has spread at an unprecedented rate and offers reached every part of the world. According to the United Nations Office on Medicines and Crime (UNODC) record (2005), a few 200 mil people, or 5 percent in the total world’s population older 15 64 have got used medicines at least once in the last 12 months an implied 12-15 million persons more than the 2004 estimate. The report procedes say that, simply no nation continues to be immune towards the devastating associated with drug abuse.

In line with the World Drug Report (2005), the use of illicit drugs has grown throughout the world lately. The statement further declares that a major world trend may be the increasing accessibility to many kinds of prescription drugs to an at any time widening socio-economic spectrum of consumers. The report argues which the main problem of drugs at global level continue being opiates (notably heroine) and then cocaine. For example , for most of Europe and Asia, opiates continued to be the primary problem drugs, accounting intended for 62 percent of all treatment in 2003.

Reports via a total of 95 countries indicated that drug seizures increased four-fold in the year 2003, and more than half of these were from cannabis. A report introduced by the Un Drug Control Program (UNDCP) in 2004 estimated that 3. 3 to 4. 1 percent with the global population consumes drugs, but more worrisome is that according to the UNDCP executive director, those who are connected are the youthful generation. In Pakistan for instance , it was reported that the reveal of those who started heroine employ at 12-15 20 years has doubled to almost 24 percent of those selected.

Every region in the world, designed or producing, incurs substantive costs because of damages caused by substance abuse (World Drug Report, 2005). The earth Health Firm (WHO) quotes that 1 ) 1 billion people, representing a third on the planet population over a age of 12-15 years, work with tobacco, principally in the form of the cigarettes. Of the smokers, 800 million, seven-hundred million of them males, stay in developing countries (WHO, 2004). While cigarette smoking rates had been declining inside the developed world, they have improved in the developing countries by as much as 50 percent, particularly in Asia in addition to the Pacific region, over the last decade. Addiction to tobacco is definitely therefore a problem in the developing countries.

According to the same statement, tobacco triggers four mil deaths every year, not including newborn morbidity and mortality. Inspite of eradication initiatives in countries in The african continent, the region still remains a major supplier of some prescription drugs such as cannabis, which is one of the most widely mistreated drugs. Because the early 19 eighties, Africa has been going through an escalating problem with substance abuse and trafficking. All the while, Africa’s role inside the global prescription drugs supply chain is elevating.

Already the continent is the second major region pertaining to cannabis development, trafficking and consumption, accounting for 21 percent of worldwide seizures of the drug in 2001 (UNODC, 2004). The greatest amounts bought in this period were in Kenya, Nigeria, and the Republic of S. africa, while The other agents is said to be one of the many producers of Cannabis botanical. The situation described above is true in developed countries that have been experimenting with such prescription drugs for a long period.

Yet , developing countries are not exempted from the dangers. All countries, Nigeria inclusive, are vulnerable. It has been mentioned that Nigeria is one of the developing countries in Africa that has lately been experiencing fast increase in development, distribution and consumption of multiple medications of dependence (Acuda and Yambo 1983; World Wellness Organization, 1995; Daily Land, March a couple of, 2006). DECLARATION OF THE DIFFICULTY Drug abuse between the youth in Nigeria has become a serious problem impacting on all the people today belonging to the country.

Craving leads a large number of people, the younger generation prominent amidst them, in to downward spiral of hopelessness that in some cases ends fatally. They range from glue- sniffing road children and teenage to hardcore heroin and cocaine addicts. Drug abuse is sometimes in charge of acts of violence t destruction of property in schools, rising health care costs, evil procedures inside and out of doors the campuses and broken families. This can be a problem which affects all of us as father and mother, children, educators, government representatives, taxpayers and workers.

This kind of evil must be stop as well as the easy solution to adopt can be through consciousness creation through social network especially by tweeting at your good friends or enthusiasts of the problems posed by drug abuse. a) Examine the function of facebook in creating awareness about drug abuse among Nigeria junior. b) Identify and assess strategies employed among undergraduate to address drug abuse, their efficiency and flaws. c) Suggest strategies that may help control drug abuse among the youths. Therefore , mood-altering and psychoactive substances are not the only types of drugs abused. Using illicit medications drugs, stimulants, depressants (sedatives), hallucinogens, cannabis, also glues and paints, are usually considered to be grouped as drug/substance abuse.

Substance abuse often involves problems with instinct control and impulsive actions In the modern medical profession, the three most utilized diagnostic tools in the world, the American Psychiatric Association’s Classification and Record Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), the earth Health Organization’s International Statistical Classification of Diseases and ICRIS Medical organization Related Health Problems. A few of the drugs usually associated with this kind of term contain alcohol, amphetamines, and barbiturates, benzodiazepines (particularly alprazolam, lorazepam, and clonazepam, cocaine, methaqualone, and opioids. Use of these drugs can result in criminal fees in addition to possible physical, social, and psychological damage, both firmly depending on neighborhood jurisdiction.

There are numerous cases in which criminal or perhaps antisocial behavior take place when the person is intoxicated by a medication. Long term persona changes in individuals may happen as well. Every other thing said is regarded as noise to you. How this theory relates to each of our topic is basically that not everybody exposes themselves to the myspace social network as well as amongst those who also are using twitter not everybody gets to start to see the messages about drug abuse recognition and for individuals who do begin to see the messages just one or two choose to maintain what they noticed and act upon it.

In selective publicity you have to be following the handles that tweet about drug abuse, as well as for the picky attention well if you’re following the deal with not all their particular tweets will catch the attention plus the few that catch the attention and you simply choose to act upon is the 1 you selectively retain. Many people think drug abuse refers to the abuse of only hard drugs failing to remember that substance abuse can also involve prescribed prescription drugs too just like painkillers.

There are some handles upon twitter for example. @UnilagAmebor @Yada360 @Afrohow and so on who frequently tweet regarding the harming effects abusing drugs could have on an specific, and for every single tweet, every single twitter end user has their very own different means of perceiving that. There was a time @yada360 tweeted an image showing the lungs of any smoker and captioned it Retain smoking if you wish your lung area to end up just like this. Several users saw the twitter update as a menace tweet, while some saw it as a great advice and a few just found it while just another tweet talking about smoking cigarettes and they paid it no attention. Results The major findings of the analyze are analyzed against the background of the 5 research concerns.

The results of the market inquiries unveiled by respondents happen to be between the age groups of 16-29. All of them are full-time undergraduates via 100-400 level including diploma students of Mass Communication section. (UNILAG). RQ1. What is the pc literacy degree of UNILAG pupils? To determine the level of literacy among students of mass communication UNILAG; respondents were made to answer 3 questions; Are you pc literate? how do you access the internet? , and what social networking do you work with?

DEBATE, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS This kind of study have been able to state that most Nigerian Youths, especially Undergraduates in Nigerian Universities use social websites. In The african continent, Nigeria is one of the foremost countries that preserve a strong on-line presence. One of the most popular social media sites among them is usually Twitter. Each uses Twitter in hopes of socialization purposes. This social websites site is a superb platform to spread advice about the destructive associated with drug abuse.

This can be a good community forum to get to the youth and educate them concerning Drug abuse, particularly the evils that it brings about, and the other ways they can prevent or handle this problem. The truth that a lot of young ones actually twitter update about applying hard drugs is unlucky. More scary is that a few twitter users see it as a means of gaining some form of reputation. These people or perhaps accounts will be termed twitter overlords’.

The implication with this is that a lot of people following these accounts try to do the same, thus the cycle moves on. Based on the findings on this research, we now have put together a few recommendations that will facilitate the effective utilization of Twitter in creating Substance abuse awareness between Nigerian Youth. 1 . Myspace is one of the most popular multimedia of socialization which is used mainly by the children; this method should be employed extensively by corporate physiques In charge of the control of medications and medication usage simply by tweeting about the danger of using medications without a doctor’s prescription. installment payments on your Use specifics and not scare-tactics to educate junior.

Education can be described as key component of any decide to change self-destructive behavior. So that it can be able to be effective, education must be totally factual and not merely rational. Several of these youths are certainly not moralists, therefore trying to make them do good’ might not support much.

We ought to start to focus awareness advertisments on information which is clinically accurate. three or more. The use of image and clear presentation of materials, increased print, tone enhancers and blackboards or perhaps flip graphs which could provide as Virtual representations of personnel on facebook, or twitpicced’ by firms in charge of Medicine Control. 5. The level of understanding about substance abuse in the designed countries cannot be compared to the condition in Nigeria; these designed countries make use of twitter to teach their youngsters with various manages which constantly tweet and send communications about the implication of drug abuse.

Deals with like @NIDA on American Twitter is a good example. your five. Even the advertising in Nigeria has not helped much in creating understanding about the menace of abusing medications. South African media commit their handles to drug abuse awareness creation. Such grips as @rhinobliz tweeted As South Africa, lets unite to fight the scourge of Drug abuse. The youth will be wasting all their lives on daily basis #advancingSA 6. NDLEA and other medication agencies like NAFDAC should focus on youth on tweets by tweeting frequently around the dangers.

7. Drug abuse ought to be given the same treatment or perhaps publicity as HIV, AIDS Cancers and other dangerous diseases. 8. Governments, colleges and NGO’s should preserve online occurrence and post issues with regards to the effects of prescription drugs. The chief executive of South Africa @JacobZuma has tweets regarding drug abuse and its dangers. They must also screen online content material, as a lots of teenagers have the tendency to twitpic’, twitter update about or instagram’ hard drugs ahead of they use these people. 9. Father and mother and adults should always see time for their children/wards and enlighten them on the ills of substance abuse.

They should end up being aware of the group of people that they move with, and how they use the internet. It is suprising the wealth of destructive information an individual may be exposed to within the internet. twelve. Government agencies like Nigerian Migration and Customs should guarantee tight border security, to minimize smuggling of medication.

These companies should also preserve online occurrence, especially in twitter, as they are liable to acquire information to a lot of users upon it.