Awarness against DRUG ABUSE

  Making resolutions every New Year is like a ritual that brings a sense of optimism and a feeling of control in our minds.  Be it hitting the gym, eating healthy or quitting to smoke, these resolutions are promises to start anew and try to become the better and improved versions of ourselves. However, most of them are difficult to be kept and broken easily. Social science researchers call this the “False Hope Syndrome” where we set high yet unrealistic expectations. According to a study by the United Kingdom’s Royal Society of Public Health, “quitting smoking is the most difficult resolution to keep.” Despite the challenges, promising oneself to quit smoking is one of the most common, difficult and beneficial resolutions. And it’s all in the mind. India is home to approximately 120 million smokers. Despite the various measures and initiatives taken up by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment of India to reduce drug abuse, the incidence continues to grow. World Health...

  India and its 1971 Refugee “Problem” “Do they know we are coming?” In 1971, an estimated 10 million refugees crossed the border from East Pakistan into India (UNHCR 2000 59). The sheer magnitude of this movement of people – the largest single displacement of refugees in the second half of the 20th century (59) – is staggering. Writing from the town of Barasat, a city located in the outskirts of Calcutta, West Bengal, Sydney Schanberg, a journalist with the New York Times, describes the town as a “swarm” with refugees “so thick in the streets that cars can only inch through” (Schanberg 17 June 1971). The refugees seemed to be everywhere – sitting in the streets, crouching in doorsteps, sleeping on porches, occupying empty buildings, and cooking in the fields (Schanberg 17 June 1971). They attempted to build lean-tos only to have the monsoon rains rip them apart (Schanberg 17 June 1971). The refugees, Schanberg writes, appeared “anxious and troubled … look[ing] for someone to answe...

  Some countries may stop their vaccination programs for a while to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19. But which is better: fewer coronavirus infections or making sure children get all their usual vaccinations? Introduction The new coronavirus has caused many difficulties all over the world. Lots of people have become sick, and many have died. Many countries have taken measures to try to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. A lot of us are in lockdown and some can't even go to the doctor unless it's urgent. But how far should these kinds of restrictions go? For many years, we have defeated dangerous infectious diseases using vaccinations. (Unfortunately, as of November 2020 there is no licensed vaccine for COVID-19 yet as it's a new disease.) Since children are at high risk of falling sick from many infectious diseases, we usually receive vaccinations when we are children. Also, we are most likely to build up a good resistance to each disease in childhood. Vacc...

What is drug use disorder? Formerly separately called substance or drug abuse and addiction, drug use disorder, also called substance use or chemical use disorder, is an illness characterized by a destructive pattern of using a substance that leads to significant problems or distress, including tolerance to or withdrawal from the substance, as well as other problems that use of the substance can cause for the sufferer, either socially or in terms of their work or school performance. The effects of drug use disorders on society are substantial. The economic cost, including everything from lost wages to medical, legal, and mental health implications is about $215 billion. The cultivation of  marijuana  and production of synthetic drugs like methamphetamine has negative impact on soil and water supplies. Drug law infractions are a highly common reason for arrest in the United States, with more than 1.5 million occurring in 2016. Teens  are increasingly engaging in prescripti...