A drug addict needs a shoulder to cry on

This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Ms. Natabhon Intrapak, Ms. Chanidapa Chaovanasrimanont and Mr. Sunhanut Munkong, three students from Thailand. They are affiliated with the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting. The opinions expressed in this piece belong strictly to the writers and do not necessarily reflect IFMSA’s view on the topic, nor The European Sting’s one.

Nowadays, drugs have become an influential use around the world. Even though using drugs has a specific purpose in medicine and is often recommended by doctors, there are times when people use them inappropriately. On the other hand, the drug is used for themselves rather than to treat diseases. Frequent use can harm physical and mental health before leading to drug addiction, which depends on physically, mentally, and environmentally

Drug addiction sometimes results from people filling prescriptions without consulting a doctor and buying pills on their own out of necessity due to discomfort. People who have been addicted to drugs can show typical symptoms, for instance, antisocial, aggressive, depression, anxiety, sleeplessness, or terror. Furthermore, residing in a bad neighborhood and experiencing family issues, lack of parenting to raise their children, or a close relationship with someone who abuses drugs is also the reason for these problems.

Drugs can affect almost all bodily organs as well as the control of the nervous and muscular systems. Drugs can change your behavior and make issues to your thoughts and movement. Consequently, it can affect your relationships with family and friends. Drug use makes people careless with their responsibilities at work and leads to social issues such as committing a crime; feeling the need of spending money on the drug more frequently, even though they cannot afford it. Substances are expensive and you could end up in financial trouble. Hence, people rarely give opportunities to those who have a history of drug abuse because they have an associated stigma that might motivate them to continue abusing drugs.

Addiction and drug use have always been problems. It’s detrimental to your health as well as the community. Therefore, “Harm Reduction”  is a crucial concept for removing the negative consequences of any related substance use. It is a part of our daily existence and you can be a part of harm reduction. Understanding the patient’s use of addictive substances is the best way to achieve this. To explain more, remove them from their harmful environment and raise awareness that using drugs for medical purposes is not necessarily bad, whether it be for prescription, illegal, or recreational use. Moreover, being a part of the community is also beneficial to the mental health and emotional wellbeing of patients. Hence, it is crucial to stop negative thoughts of people.

It is acceptable to punish the wrongdoer. However, the best thing society can provide is “opportunity,” or the chance to rejoin society stigma-free. Even prisons, including being released back into the original environment, cannot change people. The social support from those around them is still essential to be able to get these people back on track and maintain a good community, even though it may have contributed to their return to the cycle of recidivism.

About the author

Natabhon Intrapak is a grade 12 student from Thailand. She is currently studying at Amatyakul school, Science-Mathematics program.

Chanidapa Chaovanasrimanont is a grade11 student from Thailand. She is studying at SRINAKHARINWIROT UNIVERSITY : PRASARNMIT DEMONSTRATION SCHOOL, Science-Mathematics program.

Sunhanut Munkong is a grade 12 student from Thailand. He is studying at Demonstration school Prince of Songkla University, Science-Mathematics program.

They have always been ambitious and passionate students. They want to collect as much knowledge as possible, which can benefit them later at the university.