The Menace of Drug Abuse in my Generation by Ashikeni Donald Okaku

Back in the days of our parents and Grandparents, the only ‘drugs’ that were available to them were alcohol and probably marijuana, Right now I think they really had it good.

Evil has evolved and it has many new faces. This generation has been exposed to an influx of different kinds of new drugs, from some form of marijuana called ‘s.k’ to promethazine or codeine, from Meth to Crack cocaine etc.

Alcohol abuse has also not lost its place in contributing to being a menace amongst the youth of this time.
It is unreal how drug abuse and excessive drug intake can completely cloud long term judgment and alter the destiny of a person. It is almost spiritual, in fact, it is.

The devil came to steal and to destroy. It is the mission of the devil to stop us from achieving our different purposes in life anyway, so why not.

Drugs can be cheap or expensive depending on your point of view or the weight of your pocket but the lifestyle of drug abuse is unquestionably an expensive one. These drugs can impair your functioning so that you become dependent on them to function normally. In worst cases, the brain does not appreciate anything in life but the next fix. Everything you channel your energy into is to provide a means for your next fix.

I have seen first-hand how drugs have ruined some people around me. It is so easy to sit back and belittle the impact of these drugs until you take some time off and look at the big picture, how little/rare trips to the drug store become weekly, and daily and proceed to even become hourly. How you can’t afford to keep up with the lifestyle so you end up borrowing and then stealing. Little drops of water make a mighty ocean and in this case an ocean of debt, self-destruction, failure, hopelessness and in extreme cases, Death!

How do the youth rise from this abyss?
God’s plans for us are of greatness and Joy. Anything that will be an obstacle to these should be destroyed.

Over dependence on drugs and subsequent abuse have long term negative effects on the ability of the youth to be fully productive and driven in life. Nobody was born into this world to just pass through life. You were not born to live a mediocre life. Do not let an unhealthy lifestyle rid you of your dreams and aspirations.
What is stopping you from focusing or refocusing and achieving your dreams?

What is distracting you from fulfilling your destiny?
Drugs?
Our society is corrupt, poverty reigns supreme. The wicked and spiteful are rewarded while the true and just are shown disdain. Hard work and its rewards seem far-fetched. The youth of this generation have few role models to emulate. 419ers, thieves and corrupt politicians are our heroes. The system has failed us. But no we will not give up. We will grab our destinies in our hands and push forward. We will not allow ourselves to be reduced to nonentities, we refuse to be drug abusers and tools for only political campaigns and violence. We refuse to be useless. We refuse to run out of options, we refuse to find solace in drugs and getting high.
We will take our destinies into our own hands. We have hope, we will dream and we will achieve!
I enjoin all the youth of this time to reject this self-defeating lifestyle. Let us come together and fight this scourge. Let us give help to our brothers and sisters that are lost in this lifestyle. The youth are the bedrock of the nation. If and when we wake up from our slumber this country will be a force to be reckoned with globally. We have the power to turn things around, but first.

SAY NO TO DRUG ABUSE!!!

Ashikeni Donald Okaku (@KingDiezel) is a Social Commentator and avid follower of Nigerian politics.