SUBSTANCE ABUSE MENACE IN NIGERIA

By Uzochukwu Chima

Introduction

While Nigerians grappled with the realities of poor economic indices fueled by increasing double-digit inflation, and as the COVID-19 pandemic’s ripple effects trickled into the previous year, and even more so into this year, there is a substance abuse epidemic among the youths in the South-Eastern part of Nigeria, more than ever reported in the country. The methamphetamine (locally known as ‘Mkpụrụmmiri’ ) abuse among Nigerian youths became a serious concern very much when known addicts started experiencing the repercussions of methamphetamine addiction including madness, violence, and homicides reported later in the year, 2021. This current wave of substance abuse has a lot of similarities to the 2018 Sweet Sweet Codeine documentary – an investigative documentary by the BBC that exposed how the codeine cough syrup is creating a generation of addicts in several parts of Nigeria. In the same year, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime conducted a follow-up survey (UNODC) highlighting the high prevalence of drug abuse in the country.

The UNODC survey provided statistically-sound data on the extent, age of onset, frequency, and pattern of drug use in Nigeria, revealing a high prevalence of drug use in about 14.3 million people aged between 15 to 64 years in 2017, with the use of psychoactive substances such as cannabis, nicotine, and narcotic pain medications being more prevalent among men. According to the survey, cannabis was the most used drug followed by opioids (pain killers and cough syrups), with cocaine and heroin being the most injected drugs that year.

Worthy of mention also, were the frequent arrests of drug addicts and seizures of cocaine, and other related substances made at Nigerian airports by NDLEA in the early part of last year. All these combined, point to an obvious fact that the substance abuse menace has found a haven in our society and as the scourge of methamphetamine ‘Mkpụrụmmiri’ menace dawned on us, it became visibly known that we have truly neglected this problem as the devastating effects began to manifest among Igbo youths.

Definition

To begin with, substance abuse is the repeated or excessive harmful use of psychoactive substances in amounts or by methods that are harmful to individuals or others. All drugs are potential candidates of abuse and this can be in the form of overdosing, addiction or trafficking as highlighted in the above definitions. While the former is true, there are drugs with high addiction index and in extension, they possess high abuse index, and their abuse is targeted at altering the normal functioning of the central nervous system – the quest to be ‘high’. These drugs are classified as recreational drugs because they are primarily taken for pleasure and have a high addictive tendency due to their compulsive and repetitive usage despite negative consequences.

Types of substances commonly abused

The above drugs are collectively used clinically as sedatives to treat anxiety problems and sleep problems but when used in quantities more than prescribed can lead to physical dependence, addiction, and the harmful side effects can ultimately lead to death.

Stimulants: They directly stimulate the central nervous system decreasing feelings of fatigue. Stimulants are abused on grounds that they are used to increase the energy levels of the abuser and to cause intense euphoria. E.g. Caffeine, Nicotine, Cocaine, and Methamphetamine, or MDMA (Crystal Meth) popularly known as ‘Ecstasy’ or ‘Molly’ or ‘Mkpụrụmmiri’. Nicotine, which is the major content in cigarettes and tobacco, is the 2^nd most widely abused drug.
Narcotics: This group otherwise known as opioid analgesics constitutes the largest number of drugs of abuse as they are clinically used to relieve pain. E.g. Morphine, Heroin, Fentanyl, Tramadol, and Codeine which is the main ingredient in most cough syrups. They are abused because they put the abuser in a euphoric state.
Hallucinogens: They are used to produce profound changes in thought patterns and mood. E.g. LSD, Marijuana or Cannabis (Indian hemp), and Synthetic cannabinoids better known as K2 or spice. Individuals who are under the effect of these substances are unable to make rational decisions.
Alcohol: This is the most widely abused drug.
Other widely abused drugs include prescription drugs such as;

Barbiturates
Benzodiazepines e.g Valium
Sleep medicines

Effects and Consequences of Substance Abuse

With pleasure-seeking, which most times constitutes the primary reason people abuse these drugs, comes consequences that can eventually lead to death for the individual in extreme cases. These consequences can be divided into 2;

1. Health Consequences

The health consequences of substance abuse manifest in many ways, disrupting the overall well-being of the individual. As reported by UNODC, 20 percent of drug users are suffering from drug use disorders. These disorders are direct health consequences of substance abuse. They include;

A. Mental Health Effects: These are the most easily manifested consequences of substance abuse. They include paranoia, depression, anxiety, aggression, hallucinations. etc.

B. Cardiovascular Effects: The heart is one of the vital organs of the body and substance abuse predisposes the individual to many heart problems which may include heart diseases, abnormal heartbeat, high blood pressure, etc.

C. Impairment of the Immune System: While the immune system helps the body system to fight diseases, an individual who is a chronic abuser is susceptible to infections due to a reduction in white blood cell production – the white blood cells constitute the machinery through which the immune system fights off infections. No doubt, the UNODC survey also reported that individuals who have used at least one drug in their lifetime were more likely to be hospitalized within 12 months than individuals who had never used any drug with blood-borne infections like HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis B, and C associated with their hospitalizations. The hospitalization becomes even more frequent for individuals who have taken more than one drug in the past 12 months and the past 30 days.

D. Cancer: One of the adverse effects of cigarette smoking is cancer, with the body’s vital organs being an easy target for its occurrence. Cigarette smoking causes cancer of the mouth and throat, esophagus, stomach, colon, rectum, liver, pancreas, voice box (larynx), trachea, bronchus, kidney and renal pelvis, urinary bladder, and even the lungs.

E. Organ Damage: With chronic consumption of drugs, organs like the brain, the kidney, the heart, the liver, and the lungs are prone to damage, as toxins are easily deposited in them, thereby changing their normal functioning.

2. Social Consequences

These consequences highlight the harm drug users pose to others. It is easily visible within our immediate community as there is always a thin line between drug users and their involvement in social vices. They easily constitute a nuisance in society. The social consequences include but are not limited to;

Domestic violence
Truancy at the place of work and in school
Poor performance or productivity level at school and place of work
Alienation from family members, relatives, and acquaintances
Most significantly, substance abusers are perpetrators of criminal offences like burglary, sex work (prostitution), shoplifting, theft, possession, or trafficking of drugs.

PREVENTION AND TREATMENT

Effective prevention of substance abuse in Nigeria requires an integrative effort from all stakeholders in society. Preventive measures to address the prevalence of substance abuse are largely education and awareness-based, these include:

Family-based prevention interventions: As the family is the basic unit of the society, parental supervision is pivotal in ensuring that children or wards are not exposed to substance abuse, and as such, family rules can be established and enforced, which will help to monitor the children’s activities.
School-based prevention interventions: The school environment is the first external contact a child has in his formative ways and without proper tutelage, children can be influenced by their peers into indulging in activities that will predispose them to substance abuse. School prevention interventions can come in form of positive peer relationship building, anti-drug use school clubs, drug resistance skills, communication, and teaching anti-drug attitudes.
Community-based prevention interventions: Since the community is the direct recipient of the social vices perpetrated by drug users, it is pertinent that the relevant custodians of the community make efforts to keep their community safe by creating a non-enabling environment for potential drug users. This can be done by sensitizing the community members on the woes of indulging in drug use activities and also creating a system to punish defaulters.
Government-based prevention interventions: The government has a huge role to play in preventing the menace of substance abuse in Nigeria. This can be done by building and funding drug rehabilitation centers, where substance abusers who are diagnosed with drug use disorders can be taken in for proper treatment and wholesome rehabilitation.

Drug Rehabilitation is the process of medical treatment through which the normal life of drug users (addicts) can be restored. Some drug rehabilitation centers in Nigeria can be found, here on this link.

In addition, one of the significant recommendations made by UNODC is the institution and implementation of an intelligence-led policing model targeted at the suppression of drug supply together with the use of financial intelligence to track drug traffickers and their criminal wealth.

Conclusion

Moving forward, the substance abuse menace in Nigeria can be defeated with concerted efforts from everyone beginning with the family up to the government.