EDITORIAL: The scourge of abuse
There is no denying that drug and alcohol abuse destroys Namibian families every year.
Our country is not only grappling with the toll of heavy drinking, especially among the youth, but drug abuse is now also widespread among teenage addicts.
We have to admit that substance abuse has the potential to drag teenagers far away from the happy and purposeful lives they deserve. We have also read how drugs, alcohol and just plain boredom have been leading Namibians down dark roads filled with sexual experimentation.
Children of school-going age are falling prey to substance abuse and this has been attributed to the chaotic behaviour at schools including ill-discipline, aggressiveness, hostility, disrespect and vandalism.
We are in total concurrence with the education authorities and experts who believe that there should be a critical understanding of the underlying causes that lead to high rates of violence, especially in a school environment. Coming up with better strategies aimed at combatting substance abuse is a mammoth task for both parents and teachers.
The challenge we are faced with is that as much the state increases penalties for offenders dealing in drugs, it is also important to handle addicts in a way that allows them to move toward recovery and rejoin society in a productive way. This even more so when dealing with teenagers who are still attending school.
All stakeholders involved - including teachers, parents, education authorities and social workers - must ensure that all school-based drug and alcohol prevention programmes are effective and properly address the problem at hand.
What we can ill-afford is for drugs and alcohol to destroy the country's future by destroying the very leaders of tomorrow. Holistic and concerted efforts are therefore needed to deal with the scourge of abuse that traps young minds and bodies each and every day. We can no longer sit idly by and watch as our children are swept away by an ever-increasing flood of alcohol and drugs.
Our country is not only grappling with the toll of heavy drinking, especially among the youth, but drug abuse is now also widespread among teenage addicts.
We have to admit that substance abuse has the potential to drag teenagers far away from the happy and purposeful lives they deserve. We have also read how drugs, alcohol and just plain boredom have been leading Namibians down dark roads filled with sexual experimentation.
Children of school-going age are falling prey to substance abuse and this has been attributed to the chaotic behaviour at schools including ill-discipline, aggressiveness, hostility, disrespect and vandalism.
We are in total concurrence with the education authorities and experts who believe that there should be a critical understanding of the underlying causes that lead to high rates of violence, especially in a school environment. Coming up with better strategies aimed at combatting substance abuse is a mammoth task for both parents and teachers.
The challenge we are faced with is that as much the state increases penalties for offenders dealing in drugs, it is also important to handle addicts in a way that allows them to move toward recovery and rejoin society in a productive way. This even more so when dealing with teenagers who are still attending school.
All stakeholders involved - including teachers, parents, education authorities and social workers - must ensure that all school-based drug and alcohol prevention programmes are effective and properly address the problem at hand.
What we can ill-afford is for drugs and alcohol to destroy the country's future by destroying the very leaders of tomorrow. Holistic and concerted efforts are therefore needed to deal with the scourge of abuse that traps young minds and bodies each and every day. We can no longer sit idly by and watch as our children are swept away by an ever-increasing flood of alcohol and drugs.
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Namibian Sun
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