Mokokchung, June 25 (MExN): In commemoration of the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, the National Cadet Crop 66th Naga Girls, Fazl Ali College Unit organized a seminar on the topic of drug abuse and alcoholism with veteran counselor from Kirpa Foundation Kohima, Phurba Yolmo as the resource person. Altogether 60 seven cadets from the college, both boys and girls, attended the seminar held at the College Auditorium here today.
The Associate NCC Officer (ANO), Tiarenla Aier, Associate Professor of Philosophy at FAC, disclosed that the seminar was organized to create awareness on the harmful effects of drug abuse, alcoholism and other intoxicating substances and its impact on the individual and the society.
Enlightening the students on the topic of intoxicating substances, the resource person Phurba Yolmo of Kripa Foundation termed drug abuse, alcoholism or abuse of other intoxicating substances as a disease which requires treatment for its cure. He maintained that such unhealthy abuse leads to only three ends – jail, rehabilitation or death. The cadets also raised a lot of questions which were answered or clarified by the resource persons.
Later, talking with media persons, the resource person, Phurba Yolmo, who has been in the field of drug abuse and alcohol for the past sixteen years, said that the seminar was a part of targeted intervention against drug use and alcohol abuse in the society. Saying that the drug use has drastically come down in the society as compared to the past years, Yolmo however said that the issue of drug abuse and alcoholism is very much present in the society and that the death rate due to alcoholism is very high in the society. Besides, he expressed deep concern about the abuse of cough-syrup medicine by teenagers who take it along with alcohol for achieving a greater kick of the alcohol drinks. In this regard, Yolmo maintained that ‘cocktail’ drugs are very dangerous, and drinking cough-syrup with alcohol is dangerous since it may easily lead to overdose or other complications.
Nonetheless, he said that the number of drug users has drastically come down, but the challenge still remains because of changed scenario among the users – earlier the drug users were usually from the higher strata of the society (well to do families) but now, most of the drug users are from the lower strata of the society. This change in scenario is presenting a problem for intervention since the drug users who are from the economically weaker section of the society cannot afford to go to rehabilitation centres for cure.
Talking about alcoholism, Yolmo disclosed that as per a report of the Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs (ISCD), alcohol causes more deaths than drug abuse in the society. In this regard he lamented that even though Nagaland is declared a dry state, alcoholism among the people is very high, and therefore the Kripa Foundation is also trying its best to ‘minimize’ this alcohol abuse in the society. He also disclosed that there are ‘Alcoholic Anonymous’ groups in the society, which try to help those alcoholics in the society.
