The International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking falls on June 26th of every year to bring to light the issues of the seriousness that illicit drugs foster on society. This occasion is upheld by people, networks, and social organizations everywhere in the world.

This day is observed worldwide with much consciousness to make society at large aware of the risks of chronic drug use and illicit trafficking. It's a problem that is a significant obstruction to health and like a poison to the young. We, at Medicircle are conducting a series on this International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking to make people understand the significance of stopping drug abuse and illicit trafficking.

Dr.Vijay Chinchole is a psychiatrist in Mumbai and has experience of 16 years in this field. He currently practices at Manobal Neuro-psychiatric clinic and Counseling Center which is a neuropsychiatric hospital in Mumbai, Mannsparsh Neuropsychiatric Center in Kalyan East. He has done his post-graduation in psychiatry From Nair Hospital in 2010 and is also trained in hypnotherapy. He is currently Vice president of IMA and a member of the Rotary Club. He is also a founder member of the Indian Association of Sexual Medicine Practitioners. 

Symptoms of drug addiction 

Dr.Vijay Chinchole informs, “Taking alcohol is easily traceable. If someone is taking other forms of drugs like cocaine, heroin, ganja, brown sugar, etc, it is very difficult to trace in the initial stages. There are few alarming signals for drug addiction which are as follows:

Staying aloof  Feeling lonely  Secretive behavior with family members  Avoiding friendship with friends Staying outside late nights  Frequently lying  Asking for money from family members Irritable  Angry at petty things  Changes In personality  Does not take care of himself Neglecting personal hygiene  Changes in behavior Staying in the room 

Physical symptoms

Shivering and tremors of the hand  Slurred speech  Watering of eyes  Redness of eyes Dilation or constriction of pupils Imbalance of gait  Poor memory  Panic attacks  Palpitations  Rashes near the nose and mouth  Needle marks  Burn marks at the tip of fingers in case of smoking 

Psychological symptoms 

Talking to oneself  Hallucinations like auditory hallucinations or visual disturbances  Ringing and buzzing in ears  Anxiety  Depression  Lack of confidence  Lack of performance in studies Difficulty in decision making  Intellectual disability 

These signs may result in suspicion for drug addiction.”

Confirmation of drug addiction 

Dr. Chinchole says, “We can confirm drug addiction with a kit which is available at our rehab center. We need an early morning sample of the urine of the individual having a problem with drug addiction. We can test it with the kit by adding two drops of urine sample which indicates the change in color and confirms drug addiction for an individual. The kit indicates the confirmation of drug addiction by the presence of two lines which means negative and the presence of one line indicates positive for drug addiction. The use of kit helps in long term monitoring in case of relapse.”

Support the individual 

Dr. Chinchole says, “ Addiction is a psychological illness and it should be accepted as an illness. It is not a fault in character. Diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, obesity, and cardiac disease emerge due to faulty lifestyles. Just like we treat these diseases, we should also treat addiction. So, if your near and dear one is suffering from drug addiction, do not panic or criticize the person. This can worsen the problem. Listen to him and support him. Explain to him that treatment is available. Help him with the counselor. In case of withdrawal symptoms or intoxication, take the help of a psychiatrist or admit him to the hospital. In extreme cases, admit him to a rehab center. But, in the initial stages talk to him and try to solve the problem of de-addiction.” 

Few tips for Control of addiction 

Dr. Vijay says, “ Here are some tips to control drug addiction: 

Talk to the individual having a drug addiction  Control cravings with food and water  Stay at home at the time of cravings  Talk to family members or friends  Avoid spending or keeping money  Talk to friends only on the phone. Do not meet them in person.”

Know about withdrawal symptoms

Dr. Chinchole informs, “ Many patients want to quit the addiction. Stopping addiction abruptly may cause the emergence of withdrawal symptoms. The patient falls into the trap of a vicious cycle of addiction. Stopping drug addiction may cause physical and psychological symptoms called withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms depend on the type of addiction. Some withdrawal symptoms are as follows :

Tremors of hand  Shivering  Palpitation  Disturbance of sleep  Irritability  Anger  Hallucinations Convulsions or fits 

Withdrawal symptoms of opioid 

Dilation of pupils  Hypersalivation  Diarrhea  Cramps in abdomen  Gooseflesh skin  Intense Body pain 

Withdrawal symptoms of cannabis 

Mild irritability  Sleep disturbance 

Withdrawal symptoms of stimulants 

No desire to work  Lethargic  Clouding of behavior  No desire to work  Confusion  Intellectual behavior  Depression Anxiety 

Withdrawal symptoms occur from 1 -2 weeks. In extreme cases, long-term withdrawal symptoms may occur for 3 - 4 months. It requires a lot of patience and family support to quit the addiction.”

Drug addiction in pregnancy 

Dr. Chinchole says, “Addiction in pregnancy can affect in following ways:

Nutrition from the placenta may get affected.  Fetal alcohol syndrome  Birth defects  Growth retardation  Intellectual disability  Sudden infantile death  IUD  Preterm delivery  Neonatal abstinence syndrome  Withdrawal symptoms in neonates Delayed growth and development The emotional psychological problem in children  Faulty parenting  Separation anxiety  Poor self-esteem  Lack of performance  ADHD  Learning disability  Personality problems 

These are the symptoms in the case of maternal and paternal drug abuse." says Dr.Vijay     

(Edited by Dr.Rati Parwani)