Substance Abuse: Causes, Consequences, and Cautions

Olawale is an engineer in one of the multinational companies in Nigeria. He is happily married to a lovely wife and blessed with two children. His main drive towards success is to take care of his family. In one of his night shifts at work, Olawale had a minor accident in his hand and it was painful. He quickly rushed down to the clinic to get treatment and medication. To curb the pain, the doctor prescribed 50mg of Tramadol for him. After a short rest, the pain left and he was marveled by the early analgetic effect of the drug. He went home that night with the belief that he needs to get more of the drugs to eradicate the pains. Also, he found out that anytime he takes the drug, he feels different. He thinks faster, he works better and even enjoys sex better with his wife. Olawale started taking 1000mg of Tramadol per day. After some months of abusing the drugs, he was relieved from his job because he always feels depressed and anxious anytime he is not taking it. His two kids were sent away from school because he could not afford school fees. He no longer performs his duty as a husband and a father. Anytime he visits the pharmacy to get drugs for his severe headache and seizures, the pharmacists keep on prescribing strong analgesics for him. He couldn’t find a way around his life……

The story of Olawale is a story that resonates with about 14.3 million people taking substances in Nigeria. The majority of them end up abusing it as a result of peer pressure, enjoyment purposes, and improper education from doctors when prescribing drugs. 

Drug abuse is a global health issue. It involves the use of legal or illegal substances for purposes other than medication. Globally, in 2013, there were over 2.8 million new drug users and 7,800 are added daily (NIDA, 2015). Most time, abnormal use of drugs leads to addiction, which is the urge to get and use drugs. In the case of Olawale, the drug he got addicted to is Tramadol.

Tramadol is similar to an opioid analgesic, which is a class of compounds that work on the brain to relieve pain. The doctor specifically prescribed it for Olawale to relieve his pain. However, he forgot to inform him that the drug can only be taken under strict doctor’s instructions. The maximum recommended dose per day is 400mg but Olawale took 1000mg because of the euphoric effects he got from it. Opioids act on many places in the brain and nervous system, including:

-         The limbic system, which controls emotions. Here, opioids can create feelings of pleasure, relaxation, and contentment.

-         The brainstem, which controls things your body does automatically, like breathing. Here, opioids can slow breathing, stop coughing, and reduce feelings of pain.

-         The spinal cord, which receives sensations from the body before sending them to the brain. Here too, opioids decrease feelings of pain, even after serious injuries.

Some of the consequences adapted from Olawale’s case include:

·        Mental Health Disorders– The mechanism of action of most drugs such as tramadol is to tamper with the release of certain compounds in the brain called neurotransmitters. Normally, the brain releases them in response to an external stimulus such as an accident or sex. Continuous use of the drugs leads to addiction which is very hard to stop. Someone who is addicted to drugs craves more and most times this leads to severe mental health conditions. Examples include; depression, hallucination, and anxiety. In the case of Olawale, he experienced all these effects and it could lead to death. Collectively, substance abuse kills 11.8 million people yearly.

·        Family conflicts – Spouses, children, and parents who witness a family member struggling with addiction experience emotional damage, financial, legal, and medical consequences. According to Psychology Today, 1 in 5 children grow up in a home where a parent abuses drugs or alcohol. Witnessing the trauma of a parent suffering addiction at a young age has long-term effects on the child. Children growing up seeing a parent addicted to drugs or alcohol are more likely to develop substance use disorders in their adulthood. As in the case of Olawale, his children might end up not being productive in life because of a lack of good parental care and good education.

·        Loss of Job – One of the criteria of the DSM-5 for checking the effect of drug use is the impact on social and economic life. People under the influence of drugs don’t perform well at work because of the effect on their mind and brain. Many companies today carry out drug tests on their workers and this has led to many people losing their job. In the case of Olawale, his work performance dropped and his company had to sack him.

To curb drug use and reduce all these consequences, the suggestions below can be taken into consideration:

1.     Doctors and medical health practitioners should be careful of the kind of drugs they prescribe for patients. Drugs that contain psychoactive compounds should be properly monitored.

2.     Government agencies and civil societies should provide rehabilitation centers where people under the effect of drug use can visit and easily access treatment.

3.     Family members and friends should be careful of stigmatizing or discriminating against people under the effect of drug abuse.

4.     People that are addicted to substance use should look for help in standard rehabilitation centers. Drug addiction is not the end.

Olawale was able to restore his life after looking at a documentary on the lives of Samuel L. Jackson and Robert John Downey. They were once drug addicts like him, and with the help of their families and rehabilitation, they came out stronger. Today, they are world stars. Through determination, you can bring an end to addiction, take the step today, and end it. 

Thank you.