New initiative to curb abuse

ALCOHOL and drug abuse among school children and other teens is becoming a contentious issue in major urban centres like Port Moresby and Lae.
Police in the capital city have reported cases of drinking sessions by male and female students that have resulted in violence and criminal acts such as rape.
A female student died last year as a result of alcohol abuse but that tragedy has not deterred others from continuing to join in drinking binges that sometimes last the whole weekend.
The National Capital District police command has warned time and again that many teenagers are putting their lives in danger and their health at risk by drinking, smoking and behaving in a disorderly manner.
And this week, the National Youth Development Authority (NYDA) and the National Capital District Commission (NCDC) joined in the efforts to curb the rising alcohol and drug abuse among school children.
The two organisations initiated the first NCD school captains’ charter on Wednesday during which their officials met from student leaders from the various secondary and high schools to discuss issues relating to alcohol and drug abuse.
“The whole purpose is to get feedback from the school captains in terms of drugs and alcohol issues in their school so that we can come up with better solutions to address the issue,” NCDC’s Yumi Lukautim Mosbi programme coordinator Lucy Totil told The National.
NYDA’s acting director-general Roby Duri urged the school captains to take the lead in addressing the issue. “We believe that you are the best people who can do this work. It is our duty as citizens of this country to make PNG a better place to live in,”
The school captain’s charter is a most commendable initiative that is envisaged to become an annual programmme and follows a training programme held in April for juveniles at Bomana Prison which focused on the harmful effects of alcohol and drugs.
While there is a growing chorus of concern about this pertinent issue, a senior magistrate has stated that the courts would like to be sympathetic towards young offenders but the laws must still be respected. And he warned that students under 18 years old would be prosecuted for alcohol and drug abuse and any crime associated with it.
Police have also warned that they will not hesitate to arrest and charge young offenders.
Therefore, the onus is on parents and guardians to ensure that their children do not endanger their lives by joining in drinking binges after school.
Research shows that alcohol and drug abuse during teen and young adult years can lead to many problems for those concerned and their families.
Such abuse can lead to skipping school, bad grades, conflict in relationships with friends and peers and unstable family relationships. It can also cause poor brain function, concentration, and other areas of brain development.
Many teenagers get into trouble with the law, end up in court and spend time in juvenile detention.
Teens that begin using alcohol and other drugs earlier are more likely to be heavy users and may become addicted.
These problems have a negative impact on their lives, their family relationships, friendships and overall health.
Teens copy what they see the adults in their lives are doing and will use alcohol and drugs to feel more grown up or to rebel against adults.
Therefore, it is helpful for parents to give clear messages about the potential dangers and pair those messages with rules and consequences that are firm but fair.
Research shows that there are a number of risk factors that make a teenager more likely to have problems with alcohol and drug abuse in the future.
These include individual, family and community risk factors.
Individual risk factors include having low self-esteem, poor grades in school and poor social skills.
Family risk factors include family history of alcohol and drug abuse, poor modeling from parents, chaos at home, and poor communication between parents and children.
Community risk factors are high incidence of alcohol and drug abuse and availability of drugs in the community.
Indeed, alcohol and drugs abuse requires the total commitment and concerted efforts of parents, schools and the community to drastically reduce its harmful and even deadly effects on our young generation now and in the future.