Ahmed, 11 years old, was surprised at the people who start using drugs, because today he learned in school the harms of drugs, and who puzzled him asked his mother: Why do they take drugs as long as they are dangerous and destroy health ?! Is it conceivable that those who abuse it do not know the damages? The mother took the initiative to educate her son about the harmful effects of drugs, and to teach him some strategies to refuse her abuse, but at the same time her questions stopped her, so what really leads people to use drugs while they are aware of its risks and deaths resulting from an overdose ?!
No one can deny what has been proven by studies on the main causes of substance abuse, which revolves around individual causes, such as the lack of skills necessary to counter negative pressure from peers, or to face different life pressures, family reasons, such as the weak relationship between children and parents, and the lack of parenting skills, in addition to the reasons Societal, such as access to narcotic drugs, and the spread of misconceptions about its benefits, but what drives a person to make a decision to start using these substances?
Some theories suggest that individuals often make rational choices, believe that they help them achieve the benefit they hope for, and also believe that they can often control themselves and their emotions, and their choices are not affected by external factors. If we rely on these theories, and on the foundations that indicate the beliefs of some individuals always lead them to the decision and the most appropriate option, then the decision to use narcotic substances will be greatly reduced, especially among the conscious individuals and aware of the dangers of drugs to health, and its consequences for social life.
From a public health perspective, the inability to perceive the magnitude and seriousness of the future consequences of some behaviors is a risk factor, and the problem of substance abuse is that its consequences may sometimes appear in the near or far future. Because some people are unaware of the magnitude and enormity of the future consequences of drug use, they are ready to incur all losses in exchange for immediate gratification, which may lead them to initiate abuse and develop addiction.
Although substance abuse is a challenge that has many and intertwined dimensions, it is from this platform that we raise these important questions: When talking about the decision-making skill, do parents realize the importance of teaching their children this skill? Is it strengthened during daily life? Is there sufficient focus on it in educational curricula, and through interactive activities and scenarios? What about the preventive programs used? Is it possible through them to focus on highlighting the future consequences of drug use, and calculating the size of the losses caused by it, away from the classic stereotypes ?!
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