The dangers of recreational use of drugs
The Drug and Alcohol Treatment Agency has recently pronounced that the perception of taking drugs has to change. This was in response to the incident on the 2nd of February which left Thomas Jones, 19, dead. Another was left seriously ill after taking a form of ecstasy known as green apples. A further two incidents last week involved another form of ecstasy called pink love. The senior trainer at CAIS, a drug agency , has commented, “people just don’t see the dangers.”. It is this which is leading to such high recreational use of drugs like ecstasy. It has caused young people to have a more relaxed attitude towards “harder drugs”.
The senior trainer at CAIS has highlighted the unknown risks of taking drugs because “you don’t know what’s in them until you take them to the lab”. This means that taking the drug at any time can be very dangerous. This is displayed through the police in North Wales sending out a warning of a deadly batch of ecstasy.
Gateway drugs
Many have argued that the recreational use of “soft drugs” like marijuana can lead to the use of “hard drugs”, like cocaine. Soft drugs are considered “gateway drugs”. It can lead to the use of even more dangerous drugs. There are a number of drug overdose deaths rising again this year, and it is clear that the problem is not changing for the better.
The need to discuss the dangers of drugs
The national drug prevention alliance has released figures which show that the use of recreational drugs by those under 18 remains high at around 25%. This does not bode well for drug problems as children grow older and begin to experiment with harder drugs. With the concept of “gateway” drugs leading to harder drugs, it seems that the perception of taking drugs must change. Moreover, if young people in Britain continue to view drug taking as being acceptable, they will continue to take them. The drug problem in the UK will not only continue, but will also grow. While the use of marijuana by the young has stabilised, the use of cocaine has increased. This displays a preference now for harder and more dangerous drugs. Drugs should be a highly debated subject in our society given that there are such immediate dangers to drug use.
From recreational use to dependency
It is also important to realise that ‘recreational use’ is a term which addicts hide behind. Recreational use can quickly turn into drug dependency. Very few people start taking drugs in order to become addicted, and thus drug use of any kind is almost impossible to “control”, and can quickly spiral out of control. Many of our clients at our drug rehab centre began their taking drugs for recreational use.
If you have an alcohol or drug related problem, please call 01462 851 414 for free and confidential advice and help.
