How people who smoke, drink or take drugs introduce harmful chemicals into their body?

People who smoke, drink or take drugs introduce harmful chemicals into their body. Tobacco smoke besides nicotine contains many toxic chemicals such as acetone, acrolein, carbon monoxide, methanol, ammonia, oxides of nitrogen, hydrogen sulphide, traces of various mineral elements, traces of radioactive elements, acids, insecticides and other substances.

Small particles in smoke contribute to yellowish brown residue of tobacco known as tar. Smoke also contains carcinogenic chemicals and radioactive isotopes of the element polonium. Actually, radioactive lead is a constituent of soil, which on breakdown forms radioactive polonium. The latter gets deposited on the sticky leaf hair on tobacco leaves and thus becomes a part of smoke.

Perhaps, you are aware that habitual smokers suffer from chronic cough, continual sputum production and difficulty in breathing. It has been shown that smoking is linked with bronchitis, emphysema, cancer of larynx, oral cavity, oesophagus, and bladder, stomach and duodenal ulcers, cirrhosis of liver, and heart diseases. A high incidence of prenatal and postnatal mortality has been observed in babies born to mothers who smoke during pregnancy. Also the babies are generally born underweight.

Alcohol abuse is one of the common health related problems. In India, the habit is more prevalent among people of the weaker sections of our society. Intake of alcohol depresses the central nervous system. It affects the part of the brain, which controls speech, thinking, movement and other mental functions. That is why after drinking a person loses memory, judgment, concentration, inhibition and self-control. High intake results in progressive deterioration of speech, vision, coordination, hearing and walking. Besides, wide fluctuations in mood may occur: the initial euphoria may turn into depression. Alcohol is much more dangerous when used with drugs like tranquilizers, aspirin, sleeping pills, etc. because of synergetic effects. Alcohol also affects liver, kidneys and parts of digestive system.

Progressive degeneration of liver known as cirrhosis is common in alcoholics. It also damages stomach lining and thus causes ulcers. The infants born to women who drink habitually show heart anomaly, facial disfiguration and intellectual impairment. They are also smaller in size than normal infants. They may have physical addiction to alcohol called fetal alcoholic syndrome.

Drugs are chemical substances that are medically prescribed to relieve pain, fight infection, and cure illness or to maintain good health. However, in common usage these substances are called medicines and the terms drugs implies to substances that are taken to change mood and perception, to increase pleasurable sensation and even as a means of escape from life problems temporarily. We are sure that you must have heard about drugs like cocaine, marijuana, hashish (brown sugar), LSD, heroin, etc. Since these drugs affect the central nervous system, they are called psychoactive drugs. They alter the physical and mental functions and debilitate the body.

The biggest danger of using such drugs is addiction or physical dependence, which means the compulsive use of drug to an. extent that it seriously impairs the user’s capacity to lead a normal life. Moreover, withdrawal symptoms occur if the addict tries to abstain from using it.

In some television documentaries, you may have seen the pathetic state of such drug addicts due to withdrawal symptoms. Most of these drugs cause psychological dependence to the extent that in order to buy them, which require a large sum of money, the users commit crimes. Otherwise, there is no connection as such between the drugs and crimes as is wrongly believed. Since the sale and use of these drugs is banned, all the dealings are underhand and clandestine. The big money involved leads to organized crime — a sort of Mafia of drug dealers and peddlers, spanning various countries and even the continents.

It is unfortunate that a large percentage of youngsters all over the world are victims of drug abuse. The situation is getting alarming in India also. However, the marketing and use of drugs is illegal but certain greedy people commit the heinous crime of coaxing and selling drugs to youngsters who are the future of our nation. Therefore, it is necessary to create an atmosphere that will change the attitude of our people. The youngsters need direction for a reorientation towards constructive work and towards facing and coping with the adversities of life bravely.

Indiscriminate use of drugs has become increasingly common in recent years. In some instances, the side effects and dangerous complications of drugs become evident only when it is too late. We will illustrate this point by narrating you the classic case study of a tragic incident that occurred due to a sedative drug— thalidomide.

In the 1950s and 1960s, the drug was in use as an active ingredient in tranquilizers and sleeping pills in West Germany, England and many other countries. Children and adults were given the drug with no noticeable side effects. The drug was also prescribed to pregnant mothers. In the 1960s, several thousand babies were born all over the world with rare congenital birth defects. The babies had deformed arms or legs, and eye or ear defects. Later, investigations revealed that the mothers of affected children had taken thalidomide during pregnancy. It is mentioned earlier that chemicals that cause birth defects in developing embryos are called teratogens. Other suspected teratogens are antibiotics — tetracyclin and streptomycin, alcohol, sex steroids, lithium, etc.