International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking

The International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is a United Nations International Day against drug abuse and the illegal drug trade. It has been held annually since 1988 on 26 June. 


Drug abuse (addiction) involves compulsively seeking to use a substance, regardless of the potentially negative social, psychological and physical consequences. Certain drugs, such as narcotics and cocaine, are more physically addicting than some other drugs. One may have an emotional, psychological or a physical dependence. One has control over the choice to start using drugs, but once addicted, the pleasurable effect of drugs makes one want to keep using them. 


There are lots of reasons why people take illegal drugs. Some take them to escape their problems while others are bored, curious or just want to feel good. People may be pressured into taking drugs to “fit in” with a particular crowd or they may take drugs to rebel or get attention. 


An addiction is not just measured by how many times a person uses a drug. Some drugs are so addictive that they may only be used once or twice before the user loses control. A person crosses the line between abuse and addiction when one is no longer trying the drug to have fun but because one comes to depend on it. One’s whole life centres around the need for the drug. 


People can become addicted to illegal drugs as well as drugs prescribed by doctors. These include: 


Cannabis compounds: Contained in marijuana and hashish 


Opioids: Narcotic, painkilling drugs produced naturally from opium or made synthetically. These include heroin, morphine, codeine and methadone. Getting over a drug addiction may involve support from the doctor, family, friends and others who have an addiction. This involves inpatient as well as outpatient treatment. 


Central nervous system depressants: Barbiturates and benzodiazepines Benzodiazepines include tranquillisers such as diazepam, alprazolam, oxazepam, lorazepam, clonazepam and chlordiazepoxide 


Central nervous system stimulants: Amphetamines and cocaine 


Designer drugs: Synthetic compounds such as Ecstasy, which has both amphetamine like and hallucinogenic effects Hallucinogens: LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) and phencyclidine (PCP) 


Inhalants: Glue, paint, solvents, nitrous oxide 


When prescription drugs are taken the right way, they are safe and there is usually little chance of addiction. However, prescription drugs can be dangerous if they are abused (for example, taking too much or taking them when they are not needed). Some of the most commonly abused prescription drugs are painkillers and anti-anxiety drugs. Breaking the addiction is the only way to stop the problems drugs are causing in one’s life. It may not be easy to quit. But the efforts will be rewarded by better health, better relationships with the people in one’s life and a sense of accomplishment that only living drug-free can give. 


Principles of de-addiction treatment:
No single treatment is appropriate for all individuals. Matching treatment settings, interventions, and services to each patient's problems and needs is critical.
Treatment needs to be readily available. The addicts are lost to follow-up if treatment is not immediately available or readily accessible.
Effective treatment attends to multiple needs of the individual, not just one’s drug use. Treatment must address the individual's drug use and associated medical, psychological, social, vocational, and legal problems.
At different times during treatment, a patient may develop a need for medical services, family therapy, vocational rehabilitation, and social and legal services.
Remaining in treatment for an adequate period of time is critical for treatment effectiveness. The time depends on an individual's needs. For most patients, the threshold of significant improvement is reached after about 3 months in treatment. Additional treatment can produce further progress. Programmes should include strategies to prevent patients from leaving treatment prematurely.
Individual and/or group counselling and other behavioural therapies are critical components of effective treatment for addiction. In therapy, patients address motivation, build skills to resist drug use, replace drug-using activities with constructive and rewarding nondrug-using activities, and improve problem-solving abilities. Behavioural therapy also facilitates interpersonal relationships.
Medications are an important element of treatment for many patients, especially when combined with counselling and other behavioural therapies. Methadone and levo-alpha-acetylmethodol (LAAM) help persons addicted to opiates stabilize their lives and reduce their drug use. Naltrexone is effective for some opiate addicts and some patients with co-existing alcohol dependence. Nicotine patches or gum, or an oral medication, such as buproprion, can help persons addicted to nicotine.
Addicted or drug-abusing individuals with coexisting mental disorders should have both disorders treated in an integrated way.
Medical detoxification is only the first stage of addiction treatment and by itself does little to change long-term drug use. Medical detoxification manages the acute physical symptoms of withdrawal. For some individuals it is a precursor to effective drug addiction treatment.
Possible drug use during treatment must be monitored continuously. Monitoring a patient's drug and alcohol use during treatment, such as through urinalysis, can help the patient withstand urges to use drugs. Such monitoring also can provide early evidence of drug use so that treatment can be adjusted.
Treatment programmes should provide assessment for HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B and C, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases, and counselling to help patients modify or change behaviours that place them or others at risk of infection. Counselling can help patients avoid high-risk behaviour and help people who are already infected manage their illness.
Recovery from drug addiction can be a long-term process and frequently requires multiple episodes of treatment. As with other chronic illnesses, relapses to drug use can occur during or after successful treatment episodes. Participation in self-help support programmes, during and following treatment, often helps maintain abstinence.

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