Preventive Drug Education

 

The preventive drug education programme targets the following groups namely:

1. Those not involved with drugs
2. Those who irregularly abuse drugs
3. Drug addicts.
   

The main target is the first group, those not involved with drugs.

The approaches applied are:

THE KNOWLEDGE OR ATTITUDE APPROACH

The strategy used is 'disseminate information' and 'scare tactics'.

Activities included within this approach are:

• Giving lectures; the contents of the lecture will cover aims and strategies of Narcotics Control Bureau, Misuse of Drug Act (MDA) Chapter 27, harmful effects of abusing drugs and other subjects pertain to drug preventive education.

• Disseminating the anti drug message through the mass media.

• Disseminating the anti drug message using posters and pamphlets.

• Random urine samples tests of students, government civil servants, employees in private firms and members of non government organizations.  Number of urine samples will be limited to 20 persons at one time.  This is to reduce the cost on the analysis.

PSYCHO - SOCIAL APPROACH:

The strategy involves enhancing social skills.  Social skills are deemed as necessary when facing Intrapersonal stress and Interpersonal stress.

Terdapat 3 jenis latihan kemahiran digunakan

• Training Skills for Individuals:
  This strategy concerns mainly with various cognitive techniques.  This is to increase the concept of self dependence, how to deal with stress, decision making skills, to improve ones recilient  and communication skills.
  

• Training Skills for the Family:
  This strategy assumes that teenagers are involved with drugs due to their inability to resist pressure or stress from outside / others, for example from their peers, who are involved with drugs.  Hence, this strategy stresses on the function of the peer group to create a healthy social development.
  

• Training Skills for Teenagers:
  This strategy assumes that teenagers are involved with drugs due to their inability to resist pressure or stress from outside / others, for example from their peers, who are involved with drugs.  Hence, this strategy stresses on the function of the peer group to create a healthy social development.
  

FAMILY ROLE IN PREVENTION AND REHABILITATION OF DRUG ADDICTS

One of the factors which attribute to drug abuse is the instable environment within the family institutions, which eventually affect the society. The family institutions and community play an important role in the prevention and eradication of the misuse of drug.

The steps taken by parents in preventing their children from experimenting drugs in the early stage is the best measure:

• Ibu bapa haruslah mengambil berat ke atas kelakuan dan kebajikan anak-anak.

• Ibu bapa haruslah menjadi contoh yang baik kepada anak-anak.

• Elakkan anak-anak berkawan dengan rakan-rakan yang sudah terlibat dengan penyalahgunaan dadah.

• Utamakan pencegahan daripada pemulihan.

• Ibu bapa menanam sikap jijik dan membenci dadah kepada anak-anak sejak kecil lagi.
  

If any member of your family is involved in drugs, you may need to take the following measures:-

• Do not panic when you know that your family is involved in drugs.

• The family should first calm down, the family should be ready to accept the  problem  and find ways to handle the problem.

• The family must examine in detail the cause of the problem. Parents usually blame it on friends, school or work place.

• The family should be concerned and must get facts of drugs, the dangers and their affects. They must also know the signs of drug addiction.

• The family members can consult Narcotics Control Bureau for help and advise.

• If the child is in a Rehabilitation Centre, parents and family members should visit as often as possible to show concern, to support and  to see them towards recovery.

• When visiting in the Rehabilitation Centre, the family should not show on excessive and unreasonable degree of sympathy, such as crying in front of  the inmate.  By behaving in such an unjustified manner, it might reflect that they have been badly treated by the Centre.  This will help in the rehabilitation process.

• Parents should practice discipline at the home and also realise that an error should be corrected. They should also discuss and explain the reasons for any disciplinary actions taken towards their children.

• The parent should treat them as adults. Avoid insulting and giving remarks in a degrading manner.

• The parent should know the extent of the freedom to be given to an ex-addict depending on his behaviour and attitude. Parents must know who their friends are and their activities.

• Show your concern towards your children while attending the Supervision Scheme.

• Parents must realise that complete rehabilitation takes a long process.