Drug Abuse In Indonesia

Ten years ago I lost a friend, he died overdosed.He is not just ‘a friend’, but he probably one of my best friends. We grew up together and very close. He was addicted to heroin; he was 18 years old when he died. It’s so sad because he was a smart boy and he had so many dreams. Heroin is one of the kinds of drug that have the highest risk of causing death. There are many kinds of drug, such as barbiturate pills, marijuana, ecstasy, shabu-shabu (crystal methamphetamine), putaww (low grade of heroin) and cocaine.
Indonesia reportedly has over 1.3 million drug abusers out of its population of 210 million people. Most drug abusers are young aged between 15 and 35.Two weeks ago I read about the custom officials at Jakarta’s international airport apprehended an Indonesian girl and her brother with 2.6 kilograms of heroin in their shoes. The siblings in their early 20’s, were passengers of Thai Airways from Bangkok and estimated value of the heroin was some 250,000 dollars. I don’t think they are the big drug dealer, maybe they just some courier. It’s ashamed to have young Indonesian citizen to do such crime.
We often ask why do they use drugs, but I think we cannot find the exact answer. Drug abuser most common come from broken homes or broken hearts, because they felt disappointed to the situation, felt unloved, unsecured. So they try to find ‘something’ that can make them feel happy, loved and secure. But there are some people who used drugs just because of their friends, society, and curiosity. Whatever the reason is they are playing with deaths when they first tried the drugs. Different drugs cause different symptoms and sign to the person using them. For example heroin abuser will have dry mouth, disorientation, poor mental function, signs of injections, infections, shallow breathing. Heroin abuse is associated with serious health condition, including fatal overdose, spontaneous abortion, collapsed veins, and infectious disease, including HIV/AIDS and hepatitis. For cocaine abuse the symptoms are dilated/large pupil, hyper-alertness, sleeplessness, extremely talkative, speak very fast, restless, paranoia (in high dosage). In general drug abusers will abrupt changes in school attendance, quality of work, grade and discipline, Withdrawal of responsibility, general changes in overall attitude, unusual of borrowing money from friends or parents, even stealing from home and schools.
Drug abusers must get treatments as soon as possible, because it’s very dangerous for them and people surround them. There are some foundations or rehabilitation which dealing with this kind of problem. For example yayasan cinta anak bangsa, it was set up in 1999 to combat drug problems among the youth. YCAB introduces drug education to school curriculums, interschool programs for ‘at risk’ youth, as well as drug research and education centers. And there is hospital to give medical treatments and religious related place to help the abuser healed. But the most important thing is the intention of drug abuser to be cured. And the support from the family and friends will help the process of healing faster and easier to them.
If we ask why? How? Will not be an answer. Do we want to end up like my friend who died young? Life is a choice; let’s make better future, better life, and stay healthy without drugs for our sakes.