(LĐXH) - Drug addiction is becoming a more pressing problem than ever, especially as addicts are getting younger and spreading to students.
Not only is there an increasing trend, but the age of drug users is also getting younger. This not only causes health consequences but also has a profound impact on security, order and community life.
Alarming numbers
Currently, the country has 226,000 drug addicts, illegal drug users and people under post-rehabilitation management with records. The age of drug users is getting younger, about 60% of first-time drug users are between 15 and 25 years old, including many children aged 13 and 15.
Of the 95% of synthetic drug users, 70-75% are between the ages of 17-35, with a large proportion being young people and students.
According to data from the Department of Social Evils Prevention and Control ( Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs ), the number of young drug addicts undergoing compulsory and voluntary drug rehabilitation also tends to increase.
From January 1, 2022 to March 14, 2024, 110 drug rehabilitation facilities nationwide (97 public facilities, 13 non-public facilities) received 98,986 people for rehabilitation, of which 97 public facilities received 76,450 people for compulsory rehabilitation (249 people under 18 years old), 17,463 people for voluntary rehabilitation (311 people under 18 years old); at 13 non-public facilities, 5,073 people registered for voluntary rehabilitation (9 people under 18 years old).
According to Ms. Dam Thi Minh Thu, Director of the Department of Social Evils Prevention and Control, young people can be addicted to drugs due to many different reasons, most of which come from the children themselves. Due to lack of understanding about the harmful effects of drugs, many children are incited and lured into using drugs by bad people.
Some children are curious and like to express themselves, so they take the initiative to use drugs. Others have a mentality of competition, enjoyment, and loose living, and are easily lured and led astray. Some cases are due to family circumstances, parents divorced, family discord, orphaned, or economic difficulties, boredom, loneliness, and inability to control themselves, so they turn to drugs.
Meanwhile, the methods of drug criminals are increasingly sophisticated; the subjects have produced many new generation drugs with high toxicity, with eye-catching forms that attract the curiosity and exploration of young people, disguised as "happy water", milk tea or marinated in food, drinks, electronic cigarettes... so they can easily attract and entice young people.
Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Vien, Director of the Drug Crime Investigation Police Department, said that the situation of drug crimes and drug abuse in our country is very complicated; notably, the situation of illegal drug use organized under many sophisticated tricks is taking place in many localities, especially big cities where many educational institutions are concentrated.
Among them, the alarming situation is drug addiction among young people, teenagers and students.
Over the past 10 months, there have been nearly 800 people using synthetic drugs showing signs of psychosis and being "stoned", causing 33 criminal cases, including 4 murders.
Authorities have discovered 4 cases of officials and teachers in educational institutions violating drug laws; 61 cases of students violating drug laws (30 cases of students violating administrative drug laws, 31 cases of students committing drug crimes).
Heartbreaking stories
NVH, 17 years old, is being treated at Hanoi Drug Rehabilitation Center No. 2 and said: “At first, my friend invited me and said it was okay, so I decided to try it once. From then on, I became addicted without realizing it, and I even used drugs at school.
Every time I use it, I seem to forget all the stress and pressure of my family and life. Now I see the harmful effects of drugs, they only make everything worse."
At the beginning of the year, seeing H. showing unusual signs and losing weight, the family became suspicious, questioned him, took him for testing and found out that H. was addicted. Since then, H.'s mother has paid more attention to him and advised him to quit, but drugs have "soaked" into his body and he cannot forget them. Seeing that staying at home could not make H. quit drugs, the family decided to take him to rehab.
T.D.B. (18 years old) said that at first he used drugs because of too much stress and pressure from his family about studying and taking exams. Then he got addicted to drugs without realizing it because of the mistaken idea that it would help him relieve his stress. The deeper he sank, the more he realized that he was wrong and that it dragged him into a black hole of despair.
“To get money for drugs, I pawned money and things in the house, even stole things from neighbors. What I regret the most is that I made my parents and family suffer. Because of this, my mother was shocked and had to be hospitalized,” T.D.B. shared.
The above are just two of many cases of drug addiction among teenagers due to lack of understanding of the harmful effects of drugs and lack of family concern.
As the person directly managing and treating many young drug addicts, each with different circumstances and fates, Mr. Hoang Van Luat, Director of Hanoi Drug Rehabilitation Center No. 2, said: Currently, the center manages and treats 687 compulsory drug addicts, of which 32 are under 18 years old (8 female).
In recent years, the number of drug users admitted to compulsory drug rehabilitation facilities has been getting younger. Since being assigned to receive subjects under 18 years old, the facility has received and managed more than 70 children from 12 to under 18 years old.
“Looking at children the same age as our children and grandchildren makes us feel sorry. To take care of this special group, in addition to health care, personality and behavioral education, and occupational therapy, the facility also pays attention to their spiritual life, such as organizing age-appropriate recreational activities, regularly sending staff to inquire, learn about their thoughts and aspirations to grasp the actual situation and then adjust appropriate management, education and counseling methods.
The facility also creates conditions for children to participate in vocational training classes so that when they return to the community, they can find stable jobs and avoid relapse," Mr. Luat shared.
Part II: Need community cooperation
Thuy Huong
Labor and Social Affairs Newspaper No. 130
Source: https://dansinh.dantri.com.vn/xoa-doi-giam-ngheo/ky-i-nhung-cau-chuyen-dau-long-tu-nguoi-tre-nghien-ma-tuy-20241028200745431.htm
Comment (0)