It is our collective responsibility to create a safe and sound atmosphere for our children.
We are living in a society where people hardly know anything about drug menace. The race for overnight prosperity has made some people blind and ruthless. The curiosity for living a luxurious life with cheap and illicit means has taken the shape of a nightmare and disaster for people in general.
Now there is a large network of drug peddlers in our UT of J&K. Hundreds of adolescents are becoming soft targets of this fatal trade. Though there are some myths prevalent in our society still people are acknowledging the menace as an alarm for them.
Parenting has become a challenge in such vicious circumstances. No one can constrain children from playgrounds where a peddler stays and entices a young adolescent in a friendly manner. All important places or institutions like the market, parks, cinemas, hospitals, coaching centres, colleges and other institutions are safe places for drug peddlers. So, it is not as easy as we think to save our generations from this vicious circle of drugs unless we wage war against it and assist the government agencies to curb this menace.
Drug obsession takes months to evolve. It begins with experimenting. Some youngsters use it for fun to see its effects. This instinctive use of drugs without encountering any negative social or legal impacts is often accepted or even encouraged, especially among young adults. The individual using the substance mainly views this instance of getting high or getting drunk as a one-time experience, without comprehending that this opens the door to the downward spiral of obsession. Gradually experimentation turns into the habit of regular use. Regular use leads to high-risk use where a drug user becomes an addict.
The conspiracy of addiction commences from free doses offered by the peddler or friends to the victim by assuring that it would not cause any harm. Nowadays social media also encourages or propagates the use of illicit drugs. Many videos on social media show a person taking alcohol or smoking heavily to find peace of mind. Parents have to be careful and extra conscious about their children's associates and daily activities.
Once a young adult is involved in drugs his control and coordination are disturbed. His brain seeks more pleasures which are induced by the drugs. Sometimes harsh steps like suicide or self-demolition are taken out of the will. Not only this but children, main girls, are targeted and harassed. Many times, a sister or mother is assaulted for no reason.
These symptoms are sufficient to infer that the young man is an addict. Everybody must wage war against this fatal menace. We have not only to identify the culprits but also to help the government agencies to book them. How can we be complacent and watch our young generation dying? It is our collective responsibility to make the surroundings safe for our loved ones.
Giving quality education is not enough unless we protect them from all types of dangers prevalent in our society. If not us then who will come forward and protect our youth from the devastation? Drug peddlers are ruthless killers who kill our hopes and dreams. Let's pledge to assist authorities in combating drug abuse.

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