The Drug Abuse Prevention and Control (DAPC) Week is celebrated every third week of November, which is observed with this year’s theme: “Better Knowledge for Better Care” to promote public awareness against the dangerous and ill-effects of illegal drug use and arousing public cooperation in the government’s anti-drug campaign.

Drug abuse exists when a person uses a drug frequently other than its intended purpose. This continued use of drug can lead to drug dependence, a state of physical and psychological dependence on drug consumption or both on a dangerous drug. This dependence causes significant problems in one or more areas of a person’s life.

As a person continues to use drugs, it must be remembered not only in abuse but it can still lead to addiction, legal offenses, serious health problems, and in worse cases, death. Also, it must be understood that there is no way to predict the effect that a drug can have on a person, especially if it’s their first time to try it, regardless of dose and amount. Given that each person’s brain and body chemistry are different, each person would also have different tolerance for drugs.

Drug abuse affects almost all countries of the world and it remains to be one of the perennial problems that threatens people’s life in experience of problems with their drug use, regardless of age, socio-economic background, ethnic or racial identity, educational level, or the reason they started using drugs in the first place. Some people especially the young ones experiment the use with recreational drugs out of curiosity, to have a good time and have fun because friends influence them to use it. For some, they use it to ease problems such as stress, anxiety, or depression.

In the Philippines it has come to epidemic proportions and is one of the top priorities on the government’s agenda to prevent drug abuse within the country.

According to the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB), there are 1.8 million current drug users in the Philippines, which is equivalent to 2.2% of the population and 4.8 million Filipinos report having used illegal drugs at least once in their lives. More than three-quarters of drug users are adults (91%), males (87%), and have reached high school (80%). More than two-thirds (67%) are employed.

Within the Philippines, the most commonly used drug is a variant of methamphetamine called shabu or “poor man’s cocaine.” According to a 2012 United Nations report, the Philippines had the highest rate of methamphetamine abuse among countries in East Asia; about 2.2% of Filipinos between the ages 16–64 years were methamphetamines users.

The DDB, with the help of various implementing agencies and organizations in the Philippines, has a range of educational programs and services designed to cater to the needs of every sector of society.

Drug prevention programs seek to involve the family, youth, community or work place in the prevention process, and provide employers, educators, health professionals, policymakers, and other sectors with information on the prevention and control of drug use.

Prevention programs of drug use begins with education, spreading the word regarding the abused drugs and dangers of drugs that can cause to oneself especially the youth and to the community. This education can provide programs at a number of levels including:

• Family or Home-based drug prevention. The drug abuse prevention education should start at home with the family members as early as possible. Family-based drug prevention education is implemented to strengthen the family as the first line of defense against drug abuse. It is also the systematic training for effective parenting where parents are taught ways to improve relationship with their children through enhancement of parent-child communication and family bonding, and detect and refer drug dependents for appropriate care. Also, parents must not only have a plan to educate their children regarding the ill effects/dangers of drug use and abuse, but they must establish family rules to monitor their children’s activities.

• School and other youth touch points based drug prevention programs. Drug prevention programs implemented for the youth is dubbed as the “Barkada Kontra Droga” or Peer Group Against Drugs, which has been institutionalized in order to enlist the participation of more in and out of school youth and eventually organize them into a development of youthful individuals who are catalysts within their peer groups in advocating a healthy and drug-free lifestyle. School-based drug prevention education should focus on communication, peer relationship, assertiveness, and developing anti-drug attitudes that they can avoid putting themselves at risk for drug abuse later in life. This school-based drug prevention programs should be repeatedly educating or advocating youth for a better level of success.

• Community-based drug prevention programs. The center of drug prevention and control efforts in the country is within the community, which the efforts come together to fight against drugs are sure to make an impact in the prevention of drug abuse. Drug prevention training programs provided within the community is to strengthen their capacities to lead the implementation of drug abuse prevention and control programs which includes the conduct of advocacy programs, preventive education activities, and community-based treatment and rehabilitation services.

Furthermore, the problem of drug abuse is growing and prevention should be a priority in all homes, schools, and communities. As explained above, drug abuse prevention programs are effective with the efforts and responds to the needs of a community or within ourselves. And also, to protect the health, safety, and quality of life for all, especially the youth. (PHA John Paul D. Navarro, RPh)

References:

Department of the Interior and Local Government. Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Week. Retrieved 18 November 2020 from https://dilg.gov.ph/events/Drug-Abuse-Prevention-and-Control-Week/528

National Center for Biotechnology Information.  The Manila Declaration on the Drug Problem in the Philippines. Retrieved 18 November 2020 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6634291/

Dangerous Drugs Board. Facts on Drugs. Retrieved 19 November 2020 from https://www.ddb.gov.ph/sidebar/58-facts-on-drugs

Helpguide.org. Drug abuse and addiction. Retrieved 19 2020 from https://www.helpguide.org/articles/addictions/drug-abuse-and-addiction.htm

Drugabuse.org. Social Political Economic Context Illegal Drug Abuse in Philippines. Retrieved 19 2020 from https://www.drugabuse.gov/international/abstracts/social-political-economic-context-illegal-drug-abuse-in-philippines

Central Narcotics Bureau of Singapore. Philippines’ Preventive Drug Education Approach. Retrieved 19 2020 from https://www.cnb.gov.sg/aseanpde/who-we-are/preventive-drug-education-approaches/philippines