ABSTRACT
This project is an analysis of
Drug and Alcoholic abuse among the youths in Agege Local Government Area of
Lagos State. The nature of continuous exposure to the street and its associated
lifestyles makes most youths vulnerable to the use of psychoactive substances.
At present, there is insufficient information regarding the pattern of
psychoactive substance use among this group of children in Nigeria. The most
commonly used psychoactive substances were alcohol, kola nut, tobacco and
cannabis. None of the respondents reported the use of cocaine, opiates or
hallucinogens. Length of stay on the street was found to be significantly predictive
of current psychoactive substance use. The readily available and relatively
cheap substances were in common use among street children with the length of
stay on the street being a significant predictive factor. The affected
community and the government should design methods of curtailing the problem of
drug use and helping the children off the street.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Cover Page i
Certification ii
Dedication iii
Acknowledgement iv
Table of Content v
Abstract
CHAPTER ONE: BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
1.1 Introduction
1
1.2 Statement
of the problem 5
1.3 Research
questions 6
1.4 Objectives
of the study 6
1.5 Significance
of the study 7
1.6 Scope
and Delimitation of the study 8
1.7 Definition
of terms 9
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW AND
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
2.1 Introduction
11
2.2 Literature
review 11
2.3 Theoretical
orientation 18
2.4 Conceptual
framework 22
2.5 Hypothesis
proposition 27
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 Introduction 28
3.2 The
study population 28
3.3 Sample
size and sample procedures 28
3.4 Research
instrument and data collection methods 29
3.5 Methods
of Data Analysis 30
3.6 Field
Experience 30
CHAPTER FOUR:
DATA ANALYSIS, INTERPRETATION AND PRESENTATION
4.1 Introduction
31
4.2 Social
demographic characteristics of respondents 31
CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 Summary
43
5.2 Conclusions
44
5.3 Recommendations
44
References
46
Appendix
I 48
CHAPTER ONE
BACKGROUND TO THE
STUDY
1.1 INTRODUCTION
Alcohol use and abuse is
a serious problem among young people. There are a number of unhealthy
risks associated with it, including alcohol dependence, and alcohol related
accidents and violence.
There are many factors that contribute to the influence
of drug abuse or drug addiction among the Nigerian youths, namely peer groups,
parental background (broken home), and emotional stress among others.
Today, majority of people m the country believe that drug
abuse is a cankerworm and a disturbing
problem in the lives of our youths.
It has already been established that drug abuse is a
factor to be reckoned with. While some people see it from the psychological
point of view as part of Erikson's Psycho-social Development and Maslow's Need
Gratification Theory (1954), others perceive drug abuse as a societal malaise.
That it is socially unacceptable in Nigeria is manifested
in some recent anti-drug agencies formed in different parts of the country. For
instance, apart from institutional and state anti-drug agencies, the Federal
Government created the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). This shows
the extent to which drug abuse has assumed national importance.
It is therefore an evil to be properly watched, monitored
and discouraged. Like "little drops of water that forms oceans", it
probably started at home, school, or societal levels only to become a
phenomenon of uncontrollable magnitude. The research work reported in this
paper arose because this phenomenon from all Indications is worth probing into
especially from the view point of controlling this menace in our society.
Young people who persistently abuse substances often
experience an array of problem, including, academic
difficulties, health-related problems (including mental health), poor peer
relationships and involvement with the juvenile justice system. Additionally,
there are consequences for family members, the community, and the entire society.
In fact, the most likely cause of death for a 16 year old is alcohol related. For
that reason, it is important to clearly understand the extent of youth involvement
in underage drinking.
The impact of drug and alcohol abuse among Nigerian youth
has been a stigma of a morally bankrupt, decadent and wasted generation that
must be revitalized and collectively salvaged together in order to prevent the
total degeneration and loss of our societal values and ideals. What is the
brain behind our rotten society via the Nigerian youth? The answer is not
fetched; it's simply drug and substance abuse.
We cannot all sit on the fence and criminally pretend on
the menace of drug abuse that has eaten very deep into the fabrics of our
society. The idea of smoking cigarette in the past is something very rare,
unlike today that hard drugs and marijuana is openly smoked and distributed
freely in the open with the very law enforcement agents keeping a blank eye.
What do we mean by the term "drug abuse"? Drug abuse may be defined
as the "arbitrary" overdependence or abuse of one particular drug with
or without a prior medical diagnosis from qualified health practitioners. Majority
of the Nigerian youths ignorantly depend on one form of drug or the other for
their various daily activities - social, educational, political, moral, etc.
Dangerous drugs like cocaine, Indian hemp (marijuana),
morphine, heroine, tobacco, ephedrine etc. Some of these dangerous drugs are
both represents and stimulants, making the users either to feel high (on top of
the world!) or low (below the sea level!) since there is a common adage which
says "Show me your friend and I will tell you who you are”.
The sociological implications of drug abuse among the
Nigerian youth have been a major threat to the peaceful co-existence of all and
sundry in our contemporary society, thereby destroying the socio-political
dignity, personality and integrity of dependence on life. The various consequences
of the drug abuse or drug addiction are so devastating and very shameful to the
extent that both the national and international organizations all over the
world are also worried about the spread of this scourge among the Nigerian
youths.
They are as follows: social violence among youths, armed
robbery, mental disorders, 419 syndrome, social miscreants (Area boys and
girls), lawlessness among youth, lack of respect for elders, rape, and many
more of the social evils. Who is to hold to ransom and blame seriously for the
menace of drug abuse among the Nigerian youth? The family through
non-internalization of social norms, the society or peer groups of our youths. Many
narcotics have been banned among our youths for their indiscriminate use by the
international organizations like FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization), WHO (World
Health Organization) and our various local organizations. There is a proverb in
Latin which says "mens sana in corpore sano" - meaning – “a sound mind
in a sound body." Hence, the ever usage of drugs and alcohol will never
let one be in this state of sound mind in a sound body.
The various consequences of the drug abuse or drug
addiction are so devastating and very shameful to the extent that both the
national and international organizations all over the world are also worried
about the spread of this scourge among the Nigerian youths. This deviant behavior
happen the breeding ground for other social vices as follows: social violence
among youths, armed robbery, mental disorders, 419 syndrome, social miscreants
(Area boys and girls), lawlessness among youth, lack of respect for elders,
rape, and many more of the social evils. Who is to hold to ransom and blame seriously
for the menace of drug abuse among the Nigerian youth? Parental background via
the society or peer groups of our youths?
In the higher institutions of learning, binge drinking
has become another social norm. Binge drinking is the habit of having five or
more drinks in a row, which could have serious health risks. Although, binge
drinking levels are lower than they were in the 1980s, there is still a
significant minority of youth who are engaging in this risky behavior. Binge
drinking levels increase throughout adolescence and peak at ages 18-22.
More than three-fourths of youth age 12-17 are not
regular drinkers. It is very encouraging that despite some sensational
headlines d tragic incidents related to alcohol use and abuse, data from the
past two decades show a continuing trend of decreasing youth alcohol use. One
major area of concern remains; however, the increasing percentage of teens who
binge drink.
1.2 STATEMENT
OF THE PROBLEM
It is no longer new in our society that young people has
taken after deviant behaviors to express themselves in our society. Deviance is
not a property inherent in certain forms of behavior (Erikson, 1962; Becker,
963; Lemert, 1972); it is a property conferred upon particular behaviors by
social definitions.
In the course of our daily lives, people use normative
schemes available to them and make judgments regarding the desirability or
undesirability of this or that behavior. They then translate their judgments
into favourable or unfavourable consequences of those who engage in the
behavior. In this sense, deviance is what people say it is.
From the foregoing, it is evident that the larger society
frowns at alcohol and drug abuse by the youths.
In this research, attention will be focused on some
important problems relating to the causes and challenges as it affects the youths
who abuse the usage of drugs and alcohol in Agege Local Government Area.
The problems among others include:
·
The cultural and religious
dimension of drugs and alcohol abuse by youths in Agege Local Government in
Lagos State.
·
The socio-economic
constraints.
·
Efforts towards the
rehabilitation of drug addicts and their eventual reintegration into the
society.
1.3 RESEARCH
QUESTIONS
In the course of knowing the problems that youths face
when dealing with the problem of alcoholic and drug abuse, the study intends to
provide answers to these questions;
·
Does media awareness
enhance the need for proper control of drugs in our society?
·
In what ways has both
cultural and religious barriers inhibited access to media awareness in
controlling youth's behavior, promotion of responsive drinking?
·
Has parental background
had a major role to play in correcting the "plague" of drug abuse
among the Nigerian youths?
·
To know the extent of
implementation of health policy, the problems and argument in favor of media
awareness to the people living in Agege Local Government Area.
1.4 OBJECTIVES
OF THE STUDY
The purpose of the study is to access the socio-economic
causes and challenges of drug and
alcoholic abuse among the youths in Agege Local Government area of Lagos State.
The general purpose is to examine the socio-economic causes and challenges of
this phenomenon.
The specific objectives are:
·
To determine the causes
of deviant behavior as exhibited by the youths.
·
To investigate the
causes of cultural and religious barriers to youths deviant behavior in the
society.
·
Assessment of government
attitude towards availability, distribution and access of controlled drugs by
the youths.
·
To advance solutions to
the problems of drugs and alcoholic abuse among the youths.
·
To contribute new facts
and knowledge to academic field.
·
The consequences of the
activities to the general public.
·
Intervention methods to
eradicate and clean up the problem of drug abuse and youth drinking.
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE
OF THE STUDY
Numerous studies have been carried out on the abuse of
drugs and youth drinking, binge drinking, substance abuse like marijuana,
cigarettes smoking, etc. but few took the issue of drugs and alcoholic abuse by
the youths into consideration as a major social problem directly involving and
affecting the lives and development of the youths in general, with visible
negative effects on the society as well.
The few that dwelled on this topic could be found wanting
in some aspects especially as it affects youth development.
Hence, the significance of the research is first to
understand the reasons for the persistence use of drugs and alcoholic abuse
among the youths, their motivations, and to formulate better ways to deal with
this social problem and re-integrate them back into civil society. Thus, the
study will he of theoretical relevance to the res archers, scholars, and
academics that would want to carry out research or further research on this
topic or similar topics in future.
This study will be available for criticisms and analysis
and may also serve as a platform for further postulations or as a source of
reference materials.
Practically, this study will serve as a tooI to assist
both Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO), Policy makers etc, in effecting
positive changes in issues concerning the youths.
Being a topical issue, Agege in Lagos State will be
examined closely for the purpose of this study and references will also be made
to certain peculiar situations in some other cities in Nigeria. The study will
provide useful information to the authorities on the best approach to curb this
social menace.
Lastly, through this study, suggestion will be made which
will add to the wealth of experience existing in the academic field.
1.6 SCOPE AND
DELIMITATION OF STUDY
Some of the difficulties encountered by the researcher in
the course of this study include financial constraints.
The researcher had difficulties in raising enough capital
to fund transportation, logistics, payment of research assistants, and sourcing
for useful and relevant research materials both online and offline.
Another major constraint encountered during the course of
this project is the issue of distribution and collection of research
questionnaire from the respondents.
Also, due to illiteracy and show of apathy from some of
the respondents, some of the questionnaire administered were torn, ruffled,
wrongly filled, or not filled at all. This was considered as a loss of time and
man-hour.
The study tried to capture the effect of mass media in
dissemination of information about youth programs as it has a wider reach and immediacy
effect.
Shortage of literature review was another inhibiting
factor. It was also difficult in getting young people to divulge information about
their drug usage and drinking behaviour.
This research is significant because it provides the basis
for further research into this topic by providing related data. The importance
is underscored in the strategic position mass media plays in every facet of
human life and development.
1.7 DEFINITION
OF TERMS
DEVIANCE:
behavior that a considerable number of people in a society view as
reprehensible and beyond the limits of tolerance.
INTERNALIZATION: the
process by which individuals incorporate within their personalities the standards
of behavior prevalent within the larger society.
NDLEA: National Drug Law
Enforcement Agency.
SOCIAL CONTROL:
methods and strategies that regulate behavior within the Society.
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