Drugs - a danger that directly affects the nervous system
At the online seminar "The level of harm of new drugs to health" held on November 6, Lao Dong Newspaper had a discussion with Dr. Nguyen Trung Nguyen - Director of the Poison Control Center, Bach Mai Hospital and Mr. Phi Ba Khoat - A role model in helping addicts return to the community.
Speaking at the seminar, Dr. Nguyen Trung Nguyen - Director of the Poison Control Center, Bach Mai Hospital said that there are currently many groups of drugs and each group of drugs has dozens, hundreds of toxic chemicals inside. A typical example is the traditional drug heroin, this drug has a very strong impact on the nervous system, causing a feeling of euphoria, paranoia and can lead to respiratory nerve inhibition, causing coma and possibly leading to death.
More modern drugs include crystal meth and ecstasy... These drugs are commonly available in pill form, strongly stimulating the nervous system and mind, causing paranoia, hallucinations and uncontrollable behavior.
According to Dr. Nguyen, in reality there are many cases of drug use affecting the brain, causing coma, brain damage, stroke, heart damage and damage to other organs.
Nowadays, drugs and cannabis essential oils are also mixed into cakes, candies and electronic cigarettes. These drugs are currently used by many people, including students and young people, and they also cause symptoms and affect health like other traditional drugs.
“For the younger generation, drugs can cause serious effects on the nervous system, destroying the brain development process and human development. In addition, drugs also affect the thinking, emotions and memory of the younger generation and gradually kill nerve cells,” Dr. Nguyen shared.
As a typical example of helping addicts return to the community, Mr. Phi Ba Khoat also believes that the harmful effects of drug use are huge, it is one of the main causes of crime, social evils and HIV/AIDS infection.
Previously, when he participated in the Youth Union work in the locality, Mr. Khoat helped 2 drug addicts return to the community and rebuild their lives. According to Mr. Khoat, the 2 drug addicts he helped were serious addicts who had served prison sentences for drug-related crimes. In some cases, they even committed robberies to get money to buy drugs.
To help them rebuild their lives, Mr. Khoat made a commitment to the authorities, promising to educate, propagate, mobilize, persuade them, and help them find stable jobs, supporting them in all aspects of life. After a long time of accompanying, supporting and with the determination of the addicts, they completely gave up drugs, focusing on doing business and developing the economy.
New drugs “hidden” in cigarettes
Understanding the harmful effects of drugs on health and having experience in treating patients affected by drugs, Dr. Nguyen believes that to completely limit drug trafficking and use, the cooperation of all agencies and units is needed.
“The process of drug addiction withdrawal is very painful and miserable. Addicts may tremble, become agitated, smash things, scream, and have to have their hands and feet tied to overcome their addiction. More seriously, in severe cases, patients may need to be put on a ventilator or put under anesthesia. After withdrawal, patients may also face disorders in other organs in the body.
The journey of drug addiction treatment does not stop at treatment at rehabilitation facilities or medical centers. When returning to society, addicts also have to face many temptations. Therefore, the root cause is the need to have a way to prevent the increase of drug addicts, have people to support and accompany addicts when they return to the community. This process requires the contribution of many agencies, many participating forces and many factors," Dr. Nguyen Trung Nguyen shared.
Currently, the health sector also has programs to prevent relapse, drug addiction treatment, and methadone treatment programs. However, according to Dr. Nguyen, these are only solutions from the surface and do not have the effect of limiting the types of drugs appearing on the market. Therefore, there needs to be solutions from the root to avoid the emergence of new drug dealers and users.
To prevent the situation of drug trafficking and use, in addition to the propaganda work of agencies and units, Dr. Nguyen Trung Nguyen believes that each citizen needs to raise awareness and personal responsibility. For each family, it is necessary to tell children how to recognize drugs, what types of drugs there are and how dangerous they are. At the same time, drug use should be banned and regular supervision should be maintained to avoid neglecting children in toxic environments.
In addition, with the new types of drugs "hidden" in cigarettes, electronic cigarettes (containing many toxic ingredients, synthetic marijuana, nicotine, ...), Dr. Nguyen said that there should be policies to completely ban new cigarettes to protect the country's economy and people's health. If new tobacco products continue to exist and float on the market, young people will use them more and more, easily affecting younger people such as primary and secondary school students.
In order to promote the propaganda work on drug prevention, currently, ministries and branches also organize propaganda competitions on the harmful effects of drugs for people to participate and learn. According to Mr. Phi Ba Khoat, who has participated in many competitions on drug prevention, these competitions are very meaningful, playing an important role in providing information and communication to everyone in the community. At the same time, the participants in the competition are propagandists, mobilizing and guiding families and people around to be serious about drug prevention.
Regarding local drug prevention and control measures, Mr. Khoat said that it is necessary to avoid mechanical propaganda and instead focus on specific, detailed policies and practical application in localities. At the same time, drug prevention and control propaganda and mobilization work needs to take place regularly and persistently. This process requires skill, compassion and absolutely must not insult the personality of people who have used drugs.
“Drug prevention and control work requires continuity, sustainability, perseverance and many creative measures to be effective in the community, agencies and especially to disseminate to students,” said Mr. Khoat.
At the end of the discussion, Mr. Nguyen Ba Khoat also emphasized that, in addition to propaganda and restrictions on drug trafficking and use, the fight against drug abuse also needs to focus on and invest adequately in rehabilitation centers in terms of both facilities and human resources. If the above measures are fully ensured, it will contribute significantly to the country's drug prevention mission.
