Society should not glamourise unhealthy behaviour including psychoactive substances, be it legal or illegal: AIIMS

New Delhi [India], October 23 : With rising incidents of the use of psychoactive substances which are commonly known as 'drug' coming to the fore in the country, experts believe that the drug problems are being prevalent in the country, drug misinformation problem is quite widespread.
A drug or other substance affects the brain's functioning and causes changes in mood, awareness, thoughts, feelings, or behaviour.
While speaking to ANI, Dr Atul Ambekar, Professor, National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre (NDDTC), AIIMS, New Delhi, said, "There are a wide variety of environmental and biological reasons because of which young people particularly are more at risk of experimenting these drugs and following biological vulnerabilities some develops an addiction."
Psychoactive (also called psychotropic) is a term applied to chemical substances that changes a person's mental state by affecting the way the brain and nervous system work.
However, Dr Ambekar stressed clearing the misinformation related to the drugs which are quite widespread in society.
"Unfortunately the society has a lot of misinformation. More than the drug problem being prevalent in the country, the drug misinformation problem is quite widespread. People tend to view this from a moralistic lens. Seeking pleasure has been a part of human civilization," said Dr Ambekar.
"Here some people seek pleasure through chemical means of which some are socially acceptable such as tea, coffee to some extent tobacco and alcohol whereas some are socially and legally not acceptable but people who are suffering from this problem deserves our empathy and compassion and proper treatment. There is no point in treating people suffering from this 'illness' as criminals," he added.
With more adolescents and young adults resorting to these psychoactive substances (due to the age of experimentations) severe psychological and medical treatment is available for people suffering from drugs and that must be provided to them.
Dr Ambekar reiterates that certainly there should not be any attempt by society to glamourise unhealthy behaviour and that very much includes psychoactive substances be it legal or illegal.
"Saying only depression prompts people to take shelter of these psychoactive substances is not correct but any Kind of substance use is a symptom that is speaking of some mental needs which are not being fulfilled/ met otherwise," the expert states.
In a larger perspective, India sees intake of tobacco and alcohol more commonly.
Recently a high-profile drug case by an NCB team was busted at an alleged drugs party on the Cordelia Cruise ship which was on its way to Goa at mid-sea on October 2.