Say no to drugs, students told

Centre for Social Concern organised a seminar on the effects of drug addiction on Thursday. It was conducted by Dr Dillip Deshpande and his associates Farooq and Samik, both former drug addicts. Dr Deshpande told the students about the difference between drug addiction and drug abuse. “Drug addiction is the involuntary use of the drugs and abuse is a voluntary decision,” he said, adding, “Drug abuse leads to drug addiction; people take drugs to enjoy or due to peer pressure; but later on it leads to addiction.”

He spoke about the various myths associated with drug addiction such as it is not only the higher and lower class people that are affected by the problems of drug addiction but also the middle class. Alcohol and tobacco, though legal, should also be included under the banner of drug use.

Dr Deshpande also spoke about his personal life and trauma his family went through battling with his son’s drug addiction problem. He added, “My son struggled for the last 10 years with drug addiction and we spent more than half a crore on his treatment. We need to treat the person in a social context. Addiction is a brain disease that cannot be given up easily and social stigmas associated with drug addiction will only hamper the person’s treatment.” Dr Dillip Deshpande is a practicing pediatrician, actively involved in campaigning against drug abuse. He had a piece of advice to the students at the end, “Don’t wait to start living life today.”

- Shimrei I MS Com