Public Health Measures to Combat the Menace of Drug Abuse

Abstract

Drug abuse is defined as self-administration of a drug for non-medical reasons, in such amount and periodicity which may impair the ability to function adequately and which may result in social, physical, or emotional harm. A wide range of biological, genetic, medical, social, and environmental factors have influenced people from the community for the drug abuse. Drug abuse tends to affect the individuals from the middle-aged and later years of life substantially, the aftermaths of use not only results in adverse health consequences, but even affects the quality of life, family interdynamics, and burdening of the health system. Owing to the adverse impact on all age-groups of the society, it is of prime importance to design and formulate an effective community based and a holistic strategy to address the needs of the drug abuser and their family comprehensively. Multiple measures have been proposed to assist families, health professionals, schools and other community workers with identifying at risk youth and aid in reducing or eliminating risk factors through prevention and treatment programs. To conclude, although, the problem of drug abuse is complex and of significant magnitude, implementation of targeted interventions in different settings, well-supported by the dedicated team of health workers can definitely reduce the problem of the disease comprehensively.