We all know the famous saying (Prevention is Better than Treatment). The World Health Organization has dichotomized the addictive substances based on their effect on the nervous system. These substances are chemicals which change the consciousness by either uplifting, or debilitating it. Moreover, they are poisonous and when taken, one damages oneself, ones family, and ones society. These substances include:

1- Stimulating Substances for the Nervous System

For example, amphetamines (Keptagon or White pills), or substances of botanical origin such as cocaine, kat, and nicotine.

2- Inhibitive Substances for the Nervous System

These include ethyl alcohol, wine, barbiturate drugs such as seconal (the red capsule), as well as volatile substances which are used in smelling (glue, patex, and paints), benzene, and lights' gas.

3- Hallucinatory Substances

These include natural substances such as the Indian kat (hash), or synthetic ones such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), and phencyclidine tablets. These substances, regardless of how they are administered (either orally, through injection, or smelling) reach the blood eventually which nourishes all the cells of the body. Needless to say, the most endangered body parts with these poisons are the nervous system, especially brain cells which cannot be redeemed in case of damage, as well as the liver which is responsible for dealing with these poisons by means of breaking them into hard substances in an attempt to eject them through the urinary system. It's well-known that being addicted to these poisons leads to:

1. Temperamental disorder, and change in the level of consciousness of the addict.
2. A disorder in the natural chemicals which the brain cells secrete such as enkephalin, and endorphin, as well as other neurotransmitters leading eventually to disinclination of the feelings and behaviors of the addict.
3. These substances also disturb the balance of the body cells causing a pressing desire for using the chemical on which the addict is hooked. This phenomenon is known as craving.
4. The addict finds himself continually in need of increasing the dose as he experiences a group of violent symptoms when attempting to stop abusing drugs, a phenomenon known as Withdrawal Symptoms

The Harmful Aspects of Amphetamines (Stimulators)

Amphetamines are synthetic substances which we know as the white tablets..... They cause the addict to be wakeful, overly energetic, and confident, and lead to anorexia. Other consequences range between tension, insomnia, agitation, congestion of the face, high blood pressure, high temperature, increase in heart beats, and tremors in the hands. Sometimes amphetamines lead to epileptic seizures, and blood circle failure which might lead to death. Moreover, among the most dangerous muscular consequences is the occurrence of acute psychosis fits leading to chronic psychosis (also known as amphetamine psychosis) which is characterized by aberrances in thinking, skepticism about those around the addict, and visual or audio hallucinations which might lead to violent behaviour since the addict experiences strength and boldness mixed with mental disorder.

Needless to say, the most endangered segment is students who use these amphetamines, allegedly, to help them stay up at night and study harder. Unfortunately, those students fail because these tablets cause psychological disorders, debility of memory and focus, and psychological depression. Furthermore, some truck drivers who travel long ways, as well as athletes, and obese people, use these tablets.

Nicotine

Found in tobacco, nicotine is a poisonous substance which stimulates the brain in small doses, and inhibits it in huge doses. It stimulates the adrenal gland which secretes adrenaline, hence increasing blood pressure, and heart beats. In addition, nicotine inhibits hunger centers, increases cholesterol levels in the blood, and boosts blood clotting which leads to thrombus.

The Harmful Aspects of Volatile Solvents

Such solvents include patex (paints – lead – benzene ...) These are organic substances containing carbon, lead, and toluene. The abusers of these substances feel dizzy, relaxed, and experience visual and audio hallucinations, and drowsiness. Furthermore, these substances cause brain cells atrophy, and disorder in the higher functions of the brain (namely intelligence, thinking, memory, focus, perception, and emotions) leading to educational failure, emotional indolence, inclination towards social seclusion, and personality deterioration. Sometimes death might ensue as a result of the contraction of the atrium, heart stoppage, and respiratory failure. It's worth saying that lead and brume cause cirrhosis, renal failure, and anemia.

The Harmful Aspects of Opium and its Derivatives (Heroin)

Opium abuse could cause nausea, vomiting, anorexia, and constipation. It also hinders urination, dries the saliva, and makes the abuser feel dizziness, bradycardia, and narrowing of in the iris, eventually leading to death. As to heroin, it's synthesized from morphine and is considered one of the derivatives of opium. It's well-known that heroin leads to addiction faster than other addictive substances, and taking large doses of it might cause unconsciousness and death. Moreover, Heroin addiction causes anorexia, loss of interest in sex, insensibility, and character deterioration.

Injection heroin abuser exposes himself to acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), infectious hepatitis, and arterial block eventually leading to gangrene. The only treatment in this case is the amputation of the infected limb leading to handicapping the addict.

Abstention Symptoms:

Abstention symptoms include anxiety, tension, insomnia, physical pain, an increase in body secretions (perspiration – tears – running nose – vomiting – diarrhea), as well as mydriasis, abdominal and muscular contractions, apart from behavioral and emotional disorders, and an inclination to violence.

The Harmful Aspects of Barbiturates (Red Capsule) such as Seconal

Barbiturates are similar to alcohol in their effect as they inhibit the functions of the cerebral cortex, upset the kinetic balance and the consciousness leading to behavioral disorder, car accidents, and loss of motive and initiative. As to the symptoms of sudden abstention, they range between anxiety, tension, and sometimes a sudden convulsive fit, mania a potu leading to death as a result of respiratory failure.

Hallucinogenic Drugs

This is a botanical substance, just like the Indian kat, out of which hash is derived or through which a synthetic substance such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and phencyclidine tablets is made.

The Harmful Aspects of Hash and Marijuana

The effective substance is cannabinol which enters the respiratory system during smoking, and is absorbed through the mucous membrane covering the bronchial tubes thereby reaching blood and straight to the liver where it's assimilated. This substance reaches the brain where the influence is destructive. The reaction of abusers to such a substance differ; sometimes they feel ecstasy mixed with laughter without a specific reason; other times they feel aberrances in sizes, shapes, distances, as well as slowness in the passage of time. In addition, addicts might experience short memory disorder, attention and focus disturbances, misinterpretation of the sensory experiences, and eventually visual and audio hallucinations. Among the damages hash inflicts are reddening of the eyes, decrease in blood pressure, acceleration of the heart rate, kinetic disorder, brain cells atrophy, fetus deformity, and miscarriage in women.

In the end, we pray to Allah Almighty that He May protect our youth from all evils, and guides them towards the benefit of the Islamic nation, and peace be upon you.

How could we help our kids after treatment, and prevent any kind of relapse to alcohols and drugs?

Anyone who happened to do drugs, or abuse them is capable of giving them up; they need a complete treatment program. The post-treatment, and stoppage of the withdrawal symptoms period is the most important phase that must be accurately planned so the convalescents reach the ultimate recovery phase which is considered a full protection for them from the ghost of relapse.

We must say that addiction is not only a disease, but also a way of life!! And those who have taken the decision to give it up and regain their psychological health are like immigrants who travel from one society to another into the same city.

Giving up addiction does not mean merely relinquishing drugs, or any other temperament-changing substance, rather it's an adjustment to a new life in a society full of hope and reassurance away from the addict's past society.

Like other immigrants, the addicts hope that Allah helps them, and seek appreciation, and acceptance from others.

Yet, drug addiction convalescents, in their search for a new way to a new safe and stable life, need what's more than encouragement from us; they need guidance, new experiences, and new relationships that would help them succeed in moving from the dark society of addiction to their new society where they seek reassurance, happiness, and safety.

To extend our hands to those who have given up drugs and became totally clean, we have got to understand their suffering, and delve deep into their thoughts to learn about their ideas after they abstained from drugs.

We must also realize that as soon as an addict abstains from drugs, he needs to learn new things in order to fill his leisure time. Most of these things are those that could make him happy and pleased since much of those who abstained from drugs didn’t abuse them except for the pleasure of it.

Society, age, and abilities are many other factors which control our behaviour, and the way we learn how to enjoy ourselves be them... entertaining, athletic, nutritious, sexual, mental, or religious.