Heartbreaking stories of drugs addicted kids

For him, prescription drugs were an easy fix to his stress and were perfect for alleviating acute pain after an motorbike accident five years ago. In his own words, opioids were especially useful in treating his chronic pain, a more difficult condition to pin down and cure. Thats how a nine years old boy, the youngest drug user I have ever come across narrated to your blogger how his addiction began.I met the child while walking on the street the other day when he stopped and asked me for a $1 note, initially he said it was for food but after engaging him, admitted its for his high.For me, it was extremely sad to see such a child being susceptible to drugs, but as we talked few more emerged to join the chinwag most who said started taking drugs because of their natural curiosity.Their stories ranged from the pressure put on children by their parents and teachers as one of the main reasons that the children turned to drugs. One of them said, when he was in kindergarten he was being forced to learn difficult maths subject while another claimed how he left primary school when complex subjects became too much for him.To them, the pressure is often too great and drugs are used as an escape, which is the beginning of the problem.Many children who ended up in the conversation told me they tried to get help from their parents or teachers, but it seems that, too often, nobody heard them. The nine year-old boy that I met was sniffing glue, a cheap and popular drug among homeless street children. But glue isn’t the only drug being supplied to them by drug mules. Whether lured into the habit by gangs and dealers looking to expand their customer base or by ever increasing social pressures, young kids are falling under the spell of powerful illegal drugs at an alarming rate if what I witnessed is anything to go by.The kids also shared how their friends between the ages of 4 and 9 have experimented with drugs, while over two thirds in the same age age group as they are of 8 to 14 years old regularly abuse narcotics. Six of the 22 boys, all aged below 10 years who were having a chat with your blogger are HIV-positive as a result of intravenous drug use. As daunting as this all sounds, the problem might actually be even bigger than the numbers suggest and I think I was just seeing the tip of the iceberg there. It’s a huge danger for the next generation. Drug barons are destroying the brains of the young people, and how effectively authorities address the issue is up to government institutions. For young kids, getting illegal drugs is not always difficult as per what I learned. The gang members and street dealers are active in most neighborhoods and are relentless in their pursuit of new customers. According to their narration, sometimes, they give the drugs away to young kids for free. Heroin has been the drug of choice for those kids I met and for a long time they’ve been getting it for free in return for them selling on behalf of dealers.Its popularity is however waning due to an increase in the production and availability of new designer drugs, but at the moment for those young addicts it will always be a problem.

It was clear that in addition to heroin, a type of street-grade methamphetamine is also an emerging threat for their survival and was told how one of them passed away two weeks ago after consuming the same.To see such young kids with crystallized methamphetamine was painful which proves that drug enforcement policies, which he thinks often do more harm than good are simply failing this young kids.When arrested for narcotics, the kids said they usually find themselves serving the same sentences as adults, despite laws that say their sentences should be reduced. They said four of their colleagues are already in prison and have been left to languish in prison cells for years.In their views, they are victims and should be sent to a rehab facility instead of prison.They added that while in prison, their friends have been exposed to even more dangerous and addictive lifestyle choices since drug use is rampant in local prisons. Further, while drugs are easily obtained behind bars, needles are not, so they are often shared among prisoners. This lead to the spread of HIV infections and other diseases that are life threatening.One of the kid, was first exposed to drugs at the age of 6 when a friend introduced him to a form of low-grade cocaine. “Stupidly enough, I was still trying to hide my marijuana habit from my mother,” he said.  It was during a trip to his schoolmate’s house to sneak a smoke that he was introduced to the drug that would come to dominate his life to this date. Since that time, he has been arrested by the police three times. He says he has managed to stay out of jail for the last one year by spending large sums of money to bribe police. When he didn’t have enough money to afford a bribe, he ended up landing in jail. His years as an addict have taken a heavy toll on him and he is now HIV-positive. Despite the many challenges he faces, the kid has managed to push on with his life. Drug addiction is a problem that affects children in many families and if your blogger had his way, the problem would never reach the point where kids, rich or poor, need saving. In my view, education is key, but only when done correctly. I believe that formal and non-formal education only work when presented in a way that gets through to kids.There is enough education about drug abuse, but too much of it doesn’t touch upon the reasons that kids are drawn to drugs in the first place.The drug crisis with those kids has reached what I can only call an end point and sadly are going to die soon. Drugs abuse affect the lives of those caught up in it in ways they might not expect. Recognising there is a problem with drugs is an important first step in seeking help and treatment.Drug addiction can be treated, but it’s important that the person using drugs seeks help and support to figure next steps, rather than trying to deal with it on their own.People from all walks of life take illicit drugs, and the type of drug they use can depend on their socioeconomic status including things like their cultural background, where they live and what their income is. For those kids, their lives are ruined but drug dealers are living in posh and leafy suburbs enjoying their ill gotten wealth.