Prof.T K Thomas 03 Jul, 2018 at 17:07 PM Last Tuesday [26th June] was International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. One casually tuned into the lead story at 7 in the morning on Asianet News to find out that drug addiction in Kerala had gone up five times after a majority of bars were closed down in 2016 by the Congress led UDF government. During this period alcohol consumption had declined, the story mentioned. This turned out to be one’s thought for the day. Is alcohol a drug like cannabis, opiates etc? One has studied the problem of drugs and addiction for almost four decades and has learned that alcohol is indeed a drug. It comes in the category depressants [Drugs incidentally are categorized in to seven types on the basis of their effect on those who use them- for example while a depressant slows down, a stimulant speeds up or a hallucinogen disrupts communication within one’s brain and so on.] Alcohol unlike other drugs is licit or legal
Young India Network is a youth (14-30 years) driven network for the prevention of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and its risk factors, formed with a vision of having a meaningful involvement of youth and People Living With NCDs in the advocacy of health agenda in India with a primary focus on alcohol and drug use as major risk factors for both communicable and NCDs. It aims to contribute in achieving the Goal 3 of Sustainable Development Goals,ensuring healthy lives .