I had heard of the seriousness of drug use among our youths long before it became this manifest. It seemed unbelievable when I was told at the time, that a sizeable number of our undergraduates were on one form of drugs or the other. And that students of private and even faith-based universities were not exempted. This information was given to me a long time ago, by Dr Dokun Adedeji, a medical doctor who has devoted a great part of his professional life to drug rehabilitation, first with the Redeemed Christian Church and now with some concerned Nigerians. These addicts come from different strata of the society – from children of the rich to those of the poor; from offspring of doting parents to absentee parents. This doctor had met them all – from the improbable, to the likely. I couldn’t therefore doubt the information when I was told, because of the credibility of the source even when all my instincts wanted to. I could only think of the young ‘innocents’ who were leaving their mothers’ protective arms for the first time to get to Uni. Kids who were just being weaned off their mothers’ breasts. But it seems the more protective they were as kids, the more vulnerable they became as young adults, to the lure of drugs.

Dr Dokun Adedeji’s mindset at the moment is not to judge – maybe he had done that in the past like most of us still do. But now, it is not just to see the drug, but also the person – many of whom are intelligent and skilled but for the addiction. He urges us also to show more understanding and be less judgmental. His passion is to save as many lives as possible from drug addiction, and return them to the society where they can contribute their quota. And to do it with compassion because ‘nobody wakes up and says “I want to destroy my life today”. It is a passion he has put everything he has into. In a recent message to me, he stated he was looking for money to rent a new rehabilitation center in order to be able to move his male ‘clients’ to Ofada in Ogun State. For those who think this is a venture worthy of support, the account details are; Compassionate Care Initiative, CCRI; Zenith Bank, 1311299367. I am sure no amount will be deemed too small and the lives you will be saving by your gesture, might include those of your nephew, cousin or even children. I really wish we had taken the menace of substance abuse much more seriously about two, three decades ago when it was rearing its ugly head among our youths.

Yet, another addiction rearing its head, which we are not taking as seriously as we should, is phone addiction, or more specifically, social media addiction, since many of us are more addicted to our phones than we realise. Many of us are lost without them. A simple search states that ‘social media addiction can lead to severe mental health issues like anxiety, depression, loneliness and low self-esteem. It can trigger ‘fear of missing out’(FOMO) and a compulsion to seek validation through likes. Physically, it causes sleep deprivations, headaches, eye fatigue and sedentary behaviors. It also causes social and emotional decline and damaged real life relationships. It is responsible for cognitive and behavioral issues like reduced attention span, poor academic or work performance and a neglect of daily responsibilities. Common warning signs according to the search, include checking platforms constantly, feeling restless when not having access and losing interest in real world hobbies’. Many countries have banned the use of social media among kids completely, with some schools not even allowing phones. The data around their harmful effects on the young, regarding mental health, is just too overwhelming. Australia has taken things a little further by restricting social media use among its adolescents. It is likely that other countries will follow. Some are asking the Social Media outfits to put some age restrictions on their platforms. Some individuals are thinking of taking them to court over documented mental health issues. It is that bad.

We are unfortunately not reading the signs and responding adequately at home. The signs are there for all who care to see. But we are sleeping on the job, just as we did on substance abuse decades ago which has now destroyed a lot of our youths. Just as we are doing with an emerging alcohol addiction which will soon become an ill wind. All civilized countries restrict access to alcohol. Not us. Just about anybody can buy alcohol in sachets these days on the street and in the open. We are picketing NAFDAC and lobbying the National Assembly to allow an even freer flow of alcohol – and possibly social drugs - through smaller packs and sachets. We are citing employment and dubious economic considerations. Soon, alcohol abuse would become a malignant growth in the system. Then, it will be too late. After all, the use of tramadol, codeine and other so called social drugs was seen as benign until it became too late and serious mental health issues had set in.

So working parents who give their kids phones to ‘play’ with rather than risk their going out to play might be doing more harm than good to those kids. The risk of joining street gangs might be there. So is the risk of peer pressure misadventure. But are these risks in the long run any greater than the risk of social media addiction which can trigger other vices like sex, violence and cyberbullying? Those who often say proudly, that their kids love staying indoor should actually have cause to worry if all these kids do is lock themselves up in their rooms. What they do behind those locked doors might surprise these parents. Many of them might be addicted to one or all of the three addictions which are prevalent among the youths in our society – alcohol, drugs and social media. If so, then, they have become fully registered as well as active members of an addicted generation.

Our children who belong to this generation need our help and a stitch in time saves nine as the saying goes.

•Muyiwa Adetiba is a veteran journalist and publisher. He can be reached via titbits2012@yahoo.com

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