By Adedotun Aderoboye

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The menace of substance abuse among youths would deprived them the ability to attain their goals in life.
According to those who shared spoke with The Hope, the problem of substance abuse among young people in Nigeria was one of the things contributing to the growth of social misfits.
An Associate Professor of Counselling and Positive Psychology, Department of Counseling and Human Development Studies, University of Ibadan, Dr. Adebayo Oluwole believed that drug abuse have serious short and long terms consequences on people.
“Drugs hurt your work regardless of the type of drug you take abuse . Depending on the drug chosen, abuse can lead to lung and cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancer, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B and C.
The more substance you abuse, the more you get the same effect.”
He continued that drug abuse can also lead its victims into stealing, telling lies, absenteeism and other behaviours which could hinder their ability to find and keep jobs as employers may find them unacceptable.
Dr. Oluwole encouraged young people to take needed precautions and discourage themselves from becoming victims of substance abuse .
“In addition to affecting the physical health, drug abuse can also cause serious damage to people’s mental health. Youths must know what triggers their crave for drugs. They need to avoid places where they know drugs and alcohol will be available. They must surround themselves with friends who don’t use drugs. They must know how to resist temptation and learn how to cope with stress and relax without drugs. They must be meaningfully engaged. They must make a trained psychologist their friend so as to help them.”
A public secondary school teacher, Mr Adegoke Oseyemi believes that drug abuse among secondary schools students across Nigeria was an issue that was not only creating problems in the nation’s education sector but also grooming addicts who will continue to bring pain and sorrow to the country.
“When we look around us today, we can see that taking hard drugs of different kinds is common among young people. It is very sad to see young ones engaging in drug abuse under the watch of adults. Some students are actually concentrating their time and energy on dangerous substances while struggling with their academics.
In school, many of them cannot concentrate on their studies because their minds has been taken over by drugs. Many of them end up giving up their academics and become.”