The current trend of drug abuse in Ghana

Energy is defined as the ability to do work; such energy can be expended in several forms. While the farmer is reputed to have a large appetite as was cited in “Things fall Apart”, modern day women and men have taken to several food courses or perhaps food regimens under a guise called weight control for the sole aim of maintaining body form. Energy in its several forms is required for productivity and also for efficiency. The gas powered turbines as well as the mechanical mills whose turning generates energy are all forms of energy expenditure.

One would be wondering at this juncture what analgesics have to do with energy and what similarities exist between the use of analgesics and fufu or perhaps sexual verve. Let me commence by talking first about analgesics. These are medications primarily taken to relieve pain.

Unlike that friend of mine who eats a lot to gain energy, a seemingly worrying trend that is emerging today has got to do with the usage of hard drugs or perhaps soft drugs for alternative uses other than that prescribed. For these young guys, drugs are their primary source of energy, they eat for fun and take drugs for energy to impress others or just to get “high” to enable them do things they wouldn’t do in their right senses, such as reckless driving and disrespect for the elderly. All these are done without taking into consideration the adverse effects of such drugs.

Tramadol is one of such abused drugs. It is a synthetic analgesic used in managing moderate to severe pains. The maximum dose is 400mg daily in divided doses, but we find these young men and women pouring 500mg of tramadol into 500mls of energy drink and drinking all at a go, such mixture sometimes leaves them drunk for more than 24 hours and puts a lot of pressure on the liver and kidneys. Tramadol has a tendency of causing respiratory anomalies which is unknown to these young men and women. This drug is sometimes mixed with teeda (paracetamol syrup) and the whole content is drunk, so we have 500mg of tramadol and 3g  of paracetamol, a drug that is hepatotoxic, so one can imagine the damage that is been done the  body.

One  may think that the energy acquired from these drugs which is consumed by these drug lords  who call themselves “tramol” kings would be used for something profitable that can bring  much gain to the individual and the nation, but this energy is wasted on sex, careless driving on major streets and other violent behaviour.

Energy drinks are loaded with caffeine and this caffeine triggers the stomach walls to produce more acid, causing heart burns, it also increases blood pressure and heart rate, though not for a long period but continual and excessive consumption can cause devastating effects to the heart.  Caffeine also interferes with the absorption and metabolism of calcium making the individual prone to bone disorders.

Recently a young man in his early twenties fell unconscious after consuming a mixture   of tramadol and energy drink, he was an unfortunate one, his body couldn’t contain the load This behaviour has to be nipped in the bud else there lies a risk of huge society of sick people in the near future, a society of useless drug dependent young adults who can contribute nothing to their society.

By: Seyram Asemda, RGN

Tamale West Hospital