Joining hands to say no

Taking drugs is like a one-way ticket to lifelong regret. Its as simple as that. Think of all the other cool things you can do — play sports,talk on the phone with your friends,spend time on a hobby,play a video game,listen to music,play a board game,watch TV or a movie,play on the computer,attend a party — the list could go on and on.

Children don’t realise or care that they are hurting themselves. Once they start using drugs,it is difficult,almost impossible to stop. Don’t even try drugs. Many people have lost their lives over that “one puff”. Be honest to yourself. You have just one life,so take care of it. Be above the influence.
Sahiba Pannu,VIII-C
K R Mangalam World School,
Greater Kailash Part – II

2 Dhruv lay on his bed. Or was it the floor? Who cared? It felt so surreal,so good. This was goodbye to his problems and a hello to happiness. But the pain…

It was the beginning of the worst nightmare for his parents. They cried silent tears. They had lost something,someone. Dhruv had died of a cocaine overdose.

Dhruv is among those thousands of teenagers who die every year due to drug overdose. Teenage is a confusing time for all — a time for extreme emotions and an intense desire to “fit in”. The curiosity that comes with this age urges us to experiment with unknown things. Unfortunately,what starts as a lark becomes a lifetime of bondage due to the addictive nature of drugs.

Teenagers are most pressurised by parents and peers to succeed. Many teens believe drugs will help them think better and stay more active. For others,drugs offer an escape from these tensions to a moment of peace.

Drugs destroy our social,physical and academic life,spread AIDS,and can often be fatal.

We must destroy this image of drugs being “cool” and a cure for problems and spread awareness of the menace. Apart from organising anti-drug workshops and counselling sessions,we need to leverage social networking sites such as Facebook to provide an effective medium of mass communication. Our peers are the ones who directly influence us and so,prominent students in schools should wear “anti-drug” bracelets to show their support to the cause. Telling an adult about our friend’s addiction can be difficult,so,we should start an in-house helpline consisting of senior teachers so that students can call up anonymously and report drug peddlers and addicts. One week a year could be celebrated as Anti-Drug Week where celebrities such as sportspersons address students about this issue. We should volunteer at rehab centres. This will give us a peek into the harsh and painful life of a drug addict.

We should also make ourselves available to our friends who have the problem at all times and keep them motivated to kick the habit.

Drugs are now a real threat to us and our friends. So let’s join hands in our battle against drugs to save the Dhruvs of the world. If we don’t stop it now,we might be the next victims.
Mollika Basu,IX-J,Delhi Public School,R K Puram

3 Drug abuse,also known as substance abuse,involves the repeated and excessive use of chemical substances to achieve a certain effect. Drug abuse is not a matter of moral weakness or faulty willpower. It is a vicious cycle that actually causes changes in the brain,leading to stronger and stronger impulses to use. Without help,drug abuse destroys families and takes lives. But there is hope.

Protecting our loved ones from drugs is not an individual effort,neither is it the responsibility solely of parents. Awareness is the key to this lock. It is vital that teenagers are made aware of the grave effects of drug use and abuse. As an individual who is aware of this,I will spread this knowledge by talking to my classmates. I believe that in order for all of us to never fall prey to this evil,we must be given a podium for discussion. I intend to help organise debates and discussions over topics related to drugs. Schools and the student community should organise talks by eminent speakers. Small pamphlets can be made by us and distributed in our neighborhoods. We may be young but as in the adage “Every drop makes the ocean”,we must all do our parts to make this world drug-free.

In this fast and false life,teenagers are prone to drug addiction. As one of those teenagers,I feel that each one of us should take a strong stand against drugs. As a responsible citizen of this country,I vow to never use drugs and say no to drugs always.

It is well known that “problem avoidance” is an important part of problem solving. Instead of solving the problem you go upstream and alter the system so that the problem does not occur in the first place.”
Vatsalla Khanna
VIII-A,St Mary’s School,Sector-19,Dwarka

Other Notable contributions by
* Tanvi Lamba,XI-F,St Marks Senior Sec Public School,Meera Bagh
* Vatsalla Khanna,VIII-A,St Mary’s School,Dwarka
* Aishwarya Borgohain,IX C,Delhi Public School,Sushant Lok
* Swati Mishra,IX,SR DAV Public School,Dayanand Vihar
* Vandana Somani,XII,Ramjas School,Pusa Road
* Krithika Ramesh,XII-A,Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s Mehta Vidyalaya,KG Marg
* Sudev Kumar,X-E,Birla Vidya Niketan,Pushp Vihar-IV
* Saksham Joshi, IX-C,St Paul’s School,Safdarjung Enclave
* Neha Sethi ,IX-A,Holy Child School,Tagore Garden
* Sarthak Gupta,XII,Delhi Public School,R K Puram.
* Divanshi Khera,VIII,Springdales School,Pusa Road
* Yash Jain ,VIII-C,DAV Public School ,Rohini
* Pranjal Narang ,VIII-C,Springdales School,Pusa Road

Excerpts…
Govt needs to take action
To help teenagers to get rid of this habit,we all should show them a way to help increase their confidence. We should also tell them about the negative effect of drugs so that they can kick this habit. At home,adults should never smoke in front of kids. The government should ban ads that show smoking or drinking. Wherever possible,the government should minimise the production of drugs. At every school,there should be counselling for this topic. I would suggest that whenever one sees a student taking drugs,he/she should be told of the consequences they would be facing.
Shivanshu Goyal,VII–C,
Sr Marks Sr Sec School,Janakpuri

The main power is your will
If you are addicted to drugs,you can contact government hospitals,de-addiction centres,your family doctor as well as counsellors. If your friend is into this habit,advise him/her about it as well. To stop taking drugs,however,the main power is your will: you need to realise that you have to get out of the habit and your family and relatives must help you in the process. Remember,don’t take drugs to live a longer and a better life.
SAURABH CHATTERJEE,X-C
St Mary’s School,Dwarka

Education is the key
Drug abuse is fast becoming a fashion fad among students. Thousands of students have become drug addicts. In order to shed tension and pressure on young minds,they take to drugs and invite their own doom. They become mentally and physically weak. One should handle one’s frustration with courage and ability. The youth is the future of a strong nation. A key element in immunising our youth — especially students — against the spread of this disease,is education. Support for preventive education and targeting children and teenagers must be a duty of the government and people. Let us all join hands in solidarity to defeat this common enemy.
ANCHAL SINGHAL,IX-A
Adharshila Vidyapeeth,Pitampura

Parental acceptance is crucial
Drug addicts find it difficult to overcome this vicious habit; after the drug enters the bloodstream it becomes a part of our system.

The first step towards getting freed from this malaise is de-addiction,which necessitates hospitalisation in a de-addiction clinic. “Your children need your presence more than your presents.” Even after de-addiction,acceptance from parents is crucial. The next step: a change in school syllabi,curriculum and attitude. Teachers should form a rapport with their students and look for warning signs. Another means is to use mass media to propagate the harmful effects of drug addiction. Finally,stringent laws are needed to punish those guilty of selling drugs or encouraging others to take them. It is upto us in society to block this threat and save our future leaders.
Jatin Mahajan,IX–A,
Delhi Public School,Sushant Lok

A slow poison that destroys lives
Drugs are a slow poison which affects human life. So if I have to keep me and my friends away from drugs,first of all I have to keep away from it myself. I would avoid going to places where such things are sold. I would tell my friends how drugs destroys lives and how it takes away from the victim his/her friends,family. Drugs change one’s way of thinking,feeling and behaviour. While initially drugs are taken only for pleasure and slowly becomes a habit. Drug users are always depressed and want to be left alone.

I would ask my friends to stop interacting with those people who take drugs.
DEVANSHU GOYAL,VIII-D
Hansraj Model School,Punjabi Bagh