Through the work carried out with populations at risk of drug consumption and with different life cycles (adolescents, young people, and adults), I have been able to identify some erroneous beliefs about psychoactive substance consumption and the reality behind it, which we will detail below.[vc_custom_heading text=”Psychoactive Substances: Myths about Consumption” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left|color:%231e73be” google_fonts=”font_family:Asap%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][vc_column_text]Below, we will name the myths that arise from misinformation, lack of education regarding SPA consumption, and the different types of consumption.
Although the low perception of risk regarding substance consumption, the onset of experimental consumption (when there is initial contact with one or more drugs, which can be stopped or repeated), generally occurs in adolescence; according to the National Study on Psychoactive Substance Consumption in School Population of 2011.
This study shows how at 12 years of age, many schoolchildren have their first contact with cigarettes and alcohol, and at least 12.1% of Colombian students reported having consumed illicit substances at some point in their lives, including marijuana, cocaine, popper, and solvents.
Added to this are false beliefs about drugs, such as:[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]
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- Alcohol is not a drug.
- Drug addiction is not a serious problem.
- Alcohol helps forget personal problems.
- Consuming drugs helps improve academic performance.
- Consuming drugs helps improve mood and feel better.
- I consume drugs for social acceptance.
- If drugs are only consumed on weekends, there’s no problem, it’s not addictive.
- I know when to quit them.
- Legal drugs (in Colombia, alcohol, tobacco, and some psychotropic drugs) are 100% safe; the dangerous ones are the illegal ones (marijuana, cocaine, heroin).
- I don’t see the immediate consequences.
- Nothing happens to me.
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]These are some of the most frequent statements among adolescents and young people, which, amidst social dynamics, collective thought, and low self-recognition of substance consumption, affect the useful and healthy life of the population.[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Types of Drug Consumption” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left|color:%231e73be” google_fonts=”font_family:Asap%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][vc_column_text]Among the types of consumption, we find:
Occasional Drug Consumption
Which corresponds to the intermittent use of the substance, without any regularity and with long periods of non-consumption.
Habitual Drug Consumption
These involve frequent drug use, which can lead to addiction (depending on the substance, frequency of consumption, individual characteristics, and surrounding environment).
Compulsive Drug Users
Which consists of the compulsive use of a substance, despite the negative consequences it entails; the person needs the substance, and their entire life revolves around it.
Ultimately, it is a fact that young people are increasingly prone to consuming drugs at early ages, and family, educational, and social environments play an important role in awareness processes regarding these types of problems, as does dissemination and information as a prevention tool.
[/vc_column_text][vc_cta h2=”Andrea Romero Escobar” h4=”Author” style=”3d” color=”violet”]Student of the Master’s in Clinical and Health Psychology at ISEP. Specialized psychologist with knowledge in the social-community area and human development, providing care to vulnerable populations, training processes, and transversal competency development; executor of the attention and prevention program for psychoactive substance (SPA) consumption, mental health, and Youth program. Additionally, I have training and experience in the organizational field in areas such as: talent attraction and selection, organizational development, and training.[/vc_cta]