Drug Addiction: A Silent Killer of Youth and Nation
Md. Rabin Islam
Drug addiction—though a short word, it has become an alarming global issue, especially among the youth. From ancient times, humans have fallen prey to the grip of intoxication. A drug is a substance that, when consumed, can transform a sound mind into a distorted one within a short time. As long as the influence of the substance remains in the body, the person remains in an altered state of mind. Drug consumption is, in essence, no different from taking poison. It severely affects both physical and mental health, pushing individuals into misery and darkness.
Addiction refers to the uncontrollable craving for intoxicating substances. Many people turn to drugs to escape momentary mental distress, pain, and frustration. The illusion of happiness and peace it brings entices the mind and disconnects one from reality. Such false beliefs often contribute to the rapid spread of addiction.
The harmful impacts of drug addiction are many. In recent times, especially among the youth, it has led to widespread deterioration and moral collapse. Drugs silently damage the body; therefore, realizing the need for prevention becomes difficult for an addicted person. It weakens the nervous system, leads to mental imbalance, disrupts consciousness, causes muscle tremors, and can even result in death. Intelligence is destroyed, diseases take over, personality fades away, and the ability to live a normal life disappears. Drug addicts fail to perform responsibilities, resulting in personal failure and national disaster.
Drug addiction is now a global epidemic and a source of terror for any nation. Particularly, the youth are being drawn toward it at an alarming rate. The main causes include uncertainty in education, unemployment, and poverty. Many turn to addiction not only to escape their personal struggles but also to earn money through illegal means to sustain their habit. This leads to rising crime rates and frequent societal disruptions. Under the influence of drugs, the mind becomes so perverse that even women and children are not spared. In countries like Bangladesh, the increase in drug abuse has been linked to the rising number of rapes—driven in part by the distortion of the mind caused by narcotics.
In Bangladesh, drug abuse is rising at a dangerous rate. Though there is no exact data on the number of addicts, a 2021 report indicated that about 84.27% of people aged between 16 and 40 are addicted to some form of drugs. Traditional drugs like marijuana, alcohol, and opium are still in use, while modern substances such as heroin, cocaine, LSD, marijuana derivatives, Phensedyl, Pethidine, and Yaba have gained popularity. These are consumed in various forms—smoking, injecting, or swallowing.
To save society and the youth from this silent yet deadly disease, a unified national effort is needed. Since the youth are most vulnerable, their problems must be addressed with empathy and practical solutions. Creating job opportunities can prevent them from falling into the trap of addiction. Proper education must be promoted to build moral awareness. In Bangladesh, though the Department of Narcotics Control exists, the public hardly feels its presence. More critical than treating the addicts is ensuring strict legal action against drug traffickers and suppliers. Only with strong governmental intervention can we bring back the youth from this deadly path.
If we fail to act now, our future generations will descend into an abyss from which return may become impossible.
The writer is a student, Department of Bangla,Dhaka College, Dhaka
