June 26th is observed as the International Day Against Drug Abuse as decided by the United Nations. It was appropriate for a talk by Dr. Sachin Sinha of Narain Sewa Sansthan. One of the NGO’s primary aims is drug abuse awareness through anti-drug programs. The talk covered various aspects of drug use and abuse and was received by a packed auditorium at IIMB.
Dr. Sinha started by exploring the causes that induce people to use drugs – stress and peer pressure. He urged people not to give in. “You don’t need to do drugs to be happy” was a key message that he impressed upon the young audience that comprised the two-year MBA students at IIMB, the PGP Chair Prof. Padmini Srinivasan, the Dean Administration Prof. MS Narasimhan, Dr Ravi Kumar, Chief Health Officer, IIMB and Dr Sugami Ramesh, Counsellor, IIMB.
Dr Sinha then spoke about different kinds of drugs and their effects. “A drug is any chemical that leads to intoxication. Drugs can cause depression, stimulation and hallucination. Alcohol, opioids and cannabis cause depression; cocaine, tobacco and caffeine produce stimulation; and LSD, cannabis and ketamine cause hallucination. Although they allow temporary reprieves from the struggles of reality, they are addictive and should not be indulged in,” he said.
He also urged the audience to quit smoking. By telling the audience that one cigarette contains 69 carcinogens out of the 7000 chemicals in it, he made the severity and dangers of consuming cigarettes clear. He also spoke about the burning palate that can be caused by the high 630 degree Celsius temperature of cigarettes, and hyperpigmentation. Dr. Sinha spoke about the addictiveness of nicotine, the effects of which go from the mouth to the brain in 5-8 seconds.
In addition to this, Dr. Sinha shared the results of a research paper saying that 4 drinks per week is too much and warned the students against drinking due to its harmful effects.
The talk was both enlightening and startling, and the dangers of drug abuse came across clearly.
Dr. Sachin Sinha of Narain Sewa Santhan, an NGO, speaks on, ‘Say Yes to Life and a Big No to Drugs’ on June 26 (Tuesday), at IIM Bangalore, as part of World (Anti) Drug Abuse Day.
First-year students of the two-year Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGP), PGP Chair Prof. Padmini Srinivasan, Dean Administration Prof. MS Narasimhan, Dr. Ravi Kumar, Chief Health Officer, IIMB, and Dr. Sugami Ramesh, Counsellor, IIMB, are part of the programme.
