Prevalence, Types and Impact

of Drug Abuse

Dr. Sumity Arora

Department of Psychiatric Nursing,
ABCON, Lok Nayak Hospital, Delhi
Drug Abuse And Illicit Trafficking
 Introduction

• A drug is any substance, solid,

liquid or gas, that brings about
physical and/or psychological
changes.

• They act on the brain and can

change the way a person thinks,
feels or behaves.
 Drug Abuse

• Drug abuse is defined as chronic or habitual use of any

chemical substance to alter states of body or mind for
other than medically warranted purpose.
• As per WHO, abuse is referred to non-medical or
unsanctioned patterns of use, irrespective of
consequences. 
 Drug Abuse

Addiction: Compulsive nature of the drug use despite

physical and psychological harm to the user and
society and includes both licit and illicit drugs. 
Types of Drugs
 Licit Drugs &Illicit Drugs

Licit Drugs
Anything that is deemed ‘licit,’ is
within the law, or legal. include
– caffeine,
– nicotine,
– alcohol.
– Prescription
drugs.
 Illicit Drugs

Illicit drugs have been classified as illegal because they pose a

threat to

• people and their lives.

• also dangerous to society and

even the national and global
economy.
• include:
Cocaine, Mushrooms, Meth, Heroin
 Illicit trafficking

• The term "illicit trafficking" can be defined as

– illegal "trading, selling or dealing" in specified
goods.
 Types of drugs

• There is other way to classify drugs.

• There are three main types of drug affecting the
central nervous system
– Depressants
– Stimulants
– Hallucinogens
 Depressants

• Depressants are drugs that slow down the functions of the

central nervous system.
– Alcohol

– Cannabis

– Barbiturates

– Benzodiazepine

– Some solvents and inhalants

 Depressants

• GHB (Gamma-hydroxybutrate)

• Opiates/opioid
 Stimulants

• Stimulants act on the central nervous

system to speed up the messages to and
from the brain. They can make the user feel
more awake, alert or confident.

• Examples :

– Ephedrine used in medicines for

bronchitis, hay fever and asthma

– Caffeine in coffee, tea and cola drinks

 Stimulants

– Nicotine in tobacco

– Amphetamines

– Cocaine

– Ecstasy

–  Alcohol in small doses

 Hallucinogens

Hallucinogens 
• Hallucinogens affect perception.
– People who have taken them may believe they see
or hear things that aren't really there, or what
they see may be distorted in some way. 
 Hallucinogens

• Hallucinogens include:
– Datura
– Ketamine
– LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide)
– Magic mushrooms
– Mescaline
– PCP
– Cannabis is an hallucinogen as well as a depressant
– Ecstasy can also have hallucinogenic qualities.
 Most common drugs
used by adolescents
• Tobbacco / nicotine • Amphetamine Type
• Alcohol, Stimulants (ATS),
• Cannabis, • Sedatives,
• Opioids • Inhalants and
• Cocaine, • Hallucinogens.
 Global Prevalence

In 2018, 23.9% of adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 had tried illicit
drugs:
• 4% were female, 24.5% were male

Nearly 30% of teens saw illegal drug use, and the most common place it took
place was on school property

There were 4,633 drug overdose deaths among youths aged 15-24

In 2020, 47% of young people had used an illegal drug by the time they graduated
from high school. Additionally, current users (within the past month) include:
• 5% of 8th graders
• 20% of 10th graders
• 24% of 12th graders
NCDAS – Drug Abuse Statistics,(drugabusestatistics.org
Indian prevalence
 Alcohol

 Alcohol is the most common psychoactive

substance used by Indians.

Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE), Government of India,commissioned

a National Survey alongwith The National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre (NDDTC),
2019
 Cannabis and Opioids

 After Alcohol, Cannabis and Opioids are the next

commonly used substances in India.
 The use of cannabis was further differentiated
between the
legal form of cannabis (bhang) and
other illegal cannabis products (ganja and charas).
 Sedatives and Inhalants

Inhalants (overall prevalence 0.7%) are the

only category of substances for which the
prevalence of current use among children and
adolescents is higher (1.17%) than adults
(0.58%).
Why do teenagers take drugs??
• Teenagers are the people that are in the adolescence.
• Adolescence is a period of the life of changes and
discovery
 Why do teenagers take
drugs
some factors identified as common and cross- culturally:
• fun,
• relaxation,
• pleasure,
• curiosity,
• pursuit of happiness,
• developing confidence,
• adventure,
 Why do teenagers take
drugs
some factors identified as common and cross- culturally:
• integration in specific group,
• self and peer-acceptance,
• stay awake at night,
• revolt
• mismanagement of feelings
 What causes that can lead
a teenager to try drugs?
• Curiosity;

• Lack of perspective;

• Escape;

• New experiences;

• Wide availability of drugs;

• Greater tolerance towards the

use of some substances;
 What causes that can lead a teenager to try
drugs?
• Stress caused by family conflicts

• difficulty of parents set limits for your teen,

• significant changes (city, loss of a parent);

• Personality traits: low self-esteem, low self

confidence, aggressiveness, impulsivity,
defiance, difficulty accepting being
contradicted;

• Psychiatric disorders: conduct, hyperactivity

and attention deficit, depression, anxiety
and other personality disorders.
 Consequences

• Substances abuse when used improperly increase

– the risk of accidents and violence by reducing the
care for self-preservation
 Impact of drug abuse on
society

• Substance addiction has a severe impact not only on

the individual, but those closest to them, and society
as a whole.
• Impact 1: Loss of Family
– Oftentimes, they are subjected to
• domestic violence,
• abuse, and
• financial struggles.
 Impact of drug abuse on
society

• Impact 2: Over packed Institutions

– Public health systems are extremely overworked.
(patients admitted to hospitals, money spent on
inpatient treatment that is directly related to
substance addiction)
 Impact of drug abuse on
society

• Impact 3: Crime
– to obtain money to purchase their substance of
choice.
– violence normally occurs during these situations.
– Half of all the individuals arrested for a serious
crime, such as, murder, robbery, and assault, were
under the influence of a substance.
 Impact of drug abuse on
society

• Impact 5: Public Impairment

– There have been several
accidents that are the fault of a
driver who was under the
influence of drugs at the time of
incident.
– This not only causes injuries
and fatalities, but also huge
damage costs.
 Impact of drug abuse on
society

• Impact 6: Environment
– the result of outdoor drugs cultivation and
production.
– The chemicals that are used to produce drugs are
flammable and hazardous.
– Many times, these chemicals are stored
improperly, causing fire and explosions at labs.