TOPIC: DRUG USE: ABUSE, ADDICTION, ITS EFFECTS AND CONTROL (2)
When its Tuesday, for Excellent Sport Fans Club, one of the biggest Sports Fans group in Africa, Health/Safety Talk is always the delineating factor for the day amongst members, friends etc. The 4th day of September 2018 wasn't different as the Health/Safety Session organised weekly by experts in the field held another interesting session for many people all over the world to learn from.
The above was the topic held during last Tuesday's session, and this week's topic is akin with last week's. Continuing this week was Pharmacist Nancy and she educated people on the topic above.
Excerpts from Tuesday's Session:
Good evening everyone, good to be back for the continuation of last week's presentation. Last week, we talked about drug use, abuse, addiction and effects. Today, we will talk on drug dependency, treatment, hard drugs and the banned sports drugs.
DEPENDENCY AND TREATMENT OPTIONS
WHAT IS DRUG DEPENDENCE?
Some people that use an illegal drug do become drug dependent. Drug may be used for social or recreational reasons, experimentation, cultural, dietary practice or sometimes for religious rituals. Drug dependence is both physical and psychological. With physical dependency, the person using a drug over a period of time will have developed an intense reliance on drugs. The person often crave (strong desire) to use the drugs despite the damaging consequences to their physical, mental and social well-being.
Drug users can also experience psychological dependence in which they believe it is necessary to use drugs to function sometimes just at social gathering or all the time. CANNABIS is the most commonly used illegal drug in the world.
WHAT IS CANNABIS? It is a mind altering drug; it has effect on the brain, sending messages to the brain and the body. The main active chemical is THC (delta -9 tetrahydrocannabinol) which is the ingredient that gives the ‘high’. Cannabis comes in the form of Marijuana, and hash oil. It is mostly smoked but sometimes eaten. Regular and heavy cannabis used during adolescence is associated with more severe negative outcomes than use during adulthood.
We have long term and short term effects. Please, digest these effects very well;
EFFECT OF CANNABIS
SHORT TERM EFFECTS:
1. Loss of inhibition (happy, talkative, laughter)
2. Quiet, relaxed, drowsy (tired)
3. Altered memory and thinking confusion
4. Anxiety (worry, nervous) and mild paranoia (feeling undue suspicion of others)
5. Altered vision and bloodshot eyes
LONG TERM EFFECTS
A. BRAIN: Impaired concentration, memory and learning ability
B. LUNGS: sore throat, asthma, and bronchitis
C. HORMONES: Lowered sex drive, irregular menstrual cycle
D. IMMUNE SYSTEM: More likely to develop coughs, colds and other illnesses.
E. MENTAL HEALTH: Heavy and regular use may result in a drug-induced psychosis (seeing or hearing things that do not exist or are extorted), and disorganized thinking or speech. ("KOLOMENTAL")
Are we following? If yes, let's proceed!
SOME COMMON NAMES FOR CANNABIS INCLUDE:
Igbo, Ghanja, Weewee, Grass, Weed, Indian hemp (streetname ), Marijuana, Blaze, Mary and Joan, Taba, Choko, Ndedaeko, Yoyo, Bendel market, Kush, Joint, Pot, Genye and Green leaf.
Most times we joke with these names. (Laughs)
CAN PEOPLE EXPERIENCE WITHDRAWAL FROM CANNABIS?
Yes. Those dependent on cannabis will likely experience withdrawal symptoms when they stop using. Some withdrawal symptoms may include: depression, anxiety/nervousness, restlessness or physical tension, reduced appetite, nausea, and craving to smoke cannabis.
Now to the treatment options, We Just have 6 of them;
TREATMENT OPTIONS
1. COUNSELLING: Counselling is the most common kind of treatment and very essential component of the treatment process. It might involve talking about your problems, learning to change the way you think or thinking about how you might deal with the difficult problems.
2. OUTPATIENT: Programs range from drop-in centers to individual and group counseling sessions which provide education, medical and psychological services. This is more suited to those living in a stable environment and for those that do not have financial resources for residential treatment.
3. DETOXIFICATION: Involves getting rid of the drugs from the body. Usually last from 7-14 days. Detoxification occurs mainly in drug treatment centers, hospitals, private specialist treatment units and at home. It involves prescribed medications for symptoms of withdrawal, counseling and ongoing support.
4. MUTUAL HELP AND SUPPORT GROUPS: Run by recovering group members than professionals. It is through discussions, testimonials and confessions of past and present drug use problems that members receive support to maintain their non-use of drugs.
5. RESIDENTIAL REHABILITATION: Helps to confront the underlying causes of drug dependency and associated behaviors. Commonly 3 months treatment is recommended.
6. DRUG SUBSTITUTION: Involves replacing one drug (such as heroin) with a medically prescribed drug such as methadone. They are primarily for opioid-dependent person and there is strong evidence for its effectiveness. 12 months of treatment is encouraged as the minimum.
Before we conclude, let's quickly look at drugs and sports;
Thank God we are all sportsmen/women/fans and we follow sports very well. We have several recreational or sports drugs banned by World Anti-Doping Agency, WADA and other agencies in sports. Some failed and served various punishments.
BANNED DRUGS AND SPORTS
What is included in the Prohibited List? Both substances and methods (such as blood doping) are included in the Prohibited List. They will be included if they meet at least two of the following criteria:
• Potential to enhance sports performance
• Actual or potential health risk to an athlete
• Its use violates the spirit of sport.
Some substances or methods are included on the list because they have the potential to mask another prohibited substance or method. I like the last part that says: its use violates the spirit of sport. The use is actually a cheat on other innocent athletes.
Are we following? I'm sure you know where I'm heading to!
What is the difference between in-competition and out-of-competition on the Prohibited List?
The Prohibited List details substances that are banned at all times and those banned during competition only (in-competition). Athletes should be cautious and remember the following:
• Even if an athlete took a substance out-of-competition, if it is present in their sample for an in-competition test, it can result in an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV).
• Different substances will stay in the system for different lengths of time. This can range from hours to months.
• It is difficult for medical staff to advise on the time it takes for a substance to pass through someone’s system, as it will differ from one athlete to another.
• The safest way of being confident you have no substances in your system that is prohibited in-competition is to try and avoid them at all times.
Remember – always check your medications, even if you have checked previously. New substances can be added to the Prohibited List at any time.
Can we remember the likes of Justin Gatlin....the American athlete? His life has never been the same since after the doping effect. If we name 5 athletes who have failed doping test.... you will know the difference. E.g, Maria Sharapova is even worse now since she tested + to Meldonium.
In conclusion:
As a high-performing athlete, you have a responsibility to keep sport clean. This involves embracing the values of 100% me and following the principles of strict liability, which means that you are solely responsible for any banned substance you use, attempt to use or is found in your body, regardless of how it got there or whether there was an intention to cheat or not.
To achieve this, you need to follow the anti-doping basics by:
• checking all medications prior to use
• understanding what happens in a test and the testing process
• knowing the risks of taking supplements
• checking which anti-doping rules apply to your sport and the competitions you attend
This is applicable to the case of Maria Sharapova who claimed she didn't read her mail to check the list of the newly prohibited drugs as was sent by WADA. If she had had a regular check, she would have known that Meldonium is banned.
Probably she thought it was an out of competition drug and that by the time the Grand Slam will be played, the drug would have disappeared in her system!
As I end this, drug abuse, addiction and the use of performance enhancing drugs is not advised.
Stay away from hard drugs to avoid risk of being kept at "Yabaleft"(Psychiatric)
God bless you all.
All said and done from Pharmacist Nancy, the expert from her educative session, it is left for people to learn and desist from the act!
On behalf of the Excellent Sports Fans Club (ESFC), always remember, "stay healthy; Safety First"!
Credit: Getty Images
No comments:
Post a Comment