Here's another lengthy but interesting article from Charles Olomofe about health matters. He has written quite a few
articles which I have
featured on my blog in the past. Enjoy.
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I
will like to start by dousing any diversion that the title might generate; this
I intend to do by providing a rather familiar terminology to buttress this topic.
‘Weeds’
are sometimes used when we imply tobacco products which are smoked, chewed or
snuffed. ‘Wine’ on the other hand may also mean alcoholic drinks in whatever
strength. ‘Wild-sex’ is synonymous to sexual experience that is risky i.e. sex
that is laden with unintended consequences like sexually transmitted infections
(STI) including HIV/AIDS and unplanned pregnancies.
Opening-up
the weed
Tobacco
use is the leading cause of preventable morbidity and mortality worldwide.
Everyday 13,000 people die from tobacco use worldwide and nearly 6million
people succumb to tobacco related illness annually1. If the current
pattern of tobacco use and intervention effort is sustained, WHO projects a
rise from 1.2billion to 1.6billion smokers and annual death increase from 4.9million
to 10million between 2000 and 2030. Moreover, about 600,000 non smokers die
yearly as a result of being exposed to secondhand smoke. Research however shows
that nearly 80% of the world’s 1.2 billion smokers live in low and middle
income countries (LMICs). It is estimated that the number of smokers in
developing countries alone will rise to 1.4 billion by 2030 and if this goes
unchecked tobacco will not only be the
leading cause of premature mortality in industrialized nations, but also the
leading cause of premature death worldwide2.
Sadly,
a lot of young people are trapped in this cul-de-sac, much more are being
recruited daily and the epidemic of tobacco use is now approaching a
catastrophic proportion. Nicotine the additive culprit in cigarettes, not only
speeds up the nervous system but also stimulate users by offering a ‘transient
energy’ which leaves them with nothing but lung cancer and cocktail of diseases
in later years. The medical, social and economic cost to our society is fast
becoming incalculable and something drastic must be done to reverse the trend.
World Health Organization Framework Convention for Tobacco Control
(WHOFCTC) is a novel regulatory approach to reduce this menace, but many
countries are not implementing its dictates despite having the law in place.
The soothing of the wine
The seemingly innocuous behavior of drinking alcohol only at
weddings, funerals and festivals is now a regular practice at pastime in this
age of globalization. Granted minimal alcohol intake is medically allowed but
drawing the line between intoxication and safety is a height most users have
never been able to attain. The soothing effect, the fear of withdrawal syndrome
and pleasure disinhibition leaves most alcoholics without any emotional
restraint against the next bottle.
Alcohol remains the most abused substance worldwide. WHO says that
about 600,000 cancer deaths globally are due to alcohol consumption and this is
second only to tobacco when cancer mortality is counted3. Alcoholics
dig their own grave when they unwittingly intoxicate their liver with overdose
of alcoholic drinks until it shuts down and cannot perform its natural function
of detoxification. The enormity of this reckless behavior in our clime was on
display, when over 80 young farmers in two different states in Nigeria were
sent to an untimely grave following a drinking spree which was later found to
be methanol poisoning. A lot of our youths in high schools and tertiary
institutions are drinking their ‘destiny’ away obliviously and their parents
and guardians are encumbered by the tasking economic situation, global
liberalization and cultural laxity.
Tobacco and alcohol are not alone
on this list; illicit drugs like cocaine, hemp, and heroine are becoming a
growing concern. National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) estimated that
16million Nigerians use narcotic drugs, and now there is a growing evidence
linking violence and drugs use. The world drug report of United Nations Office
on Drugs and Crime (UNODC 2009) estimated that total number of people using
illicit drugs at upwards of 250million. Mr.
Perez de Cueller, at the special session of the United Nations indicated that “drug abuse is a time bomb ticking away in
the heart of civilization and there is need to quickly find measures to deal
with it before it explodes and destroys”
Sooner than we had thought, the
fruits have started to trickle in. Indiscriminate shooting, terrorism that is
all over the landscape, is a clarion call to take drugs away from miscreants.
Blowing up a fellow human being cannot only be explained as religious
extremism, radicalism or racism, someone might be ‘high on something’ to
perform such heinous crime.
The Risk behind sex
Risky sexual behavior is one reason HIV transmission is still a
menace. Premarital sex is now a norm, unprotected
sex an adventure and sexually transmitted infections (STI) including HIV/AIDS
and unplanned pregnancy a recurring consequence. Sex becomes risky when it is
initiated at early age or unprotected with multiple partners. It is equally
risky when it is done under the influence of alcohol which may hamper good
judgment and accurate reasoning. HIV/AIDS is a growing pandemic that had
devastated many families and communities worldwide. Its effects have been
greatest in sub-Saharan African region. In Nigeria for example, HIV/AIDS remains
No 1 killer and the country has the second largest population of people living
with HIV/AIDS in the region4. Whether the country is winning the war
against HIV/AIDS is still debatable, but the preponderance of risky sexual
activity going on against the backdrop of poverty, violence, terrorism, rape,
disrupted family ties etc may require a critical look. Just as the world is
thinking of “Getting to zero” going by the theme of World AIDS Day 2015,
sources of new HIV infection must be plugged. It is therefore imperative to
address those socio-economic, political, cultural factors fueling its spread.
The nexus of the trio
Young
people are at the centre of this destructive onslaught. They are not only the
actors, but also the victims. Young people are very vulnerable to risky behaviors;
peer pressure, excessive energy and risk taking tendencies seem to be their
greatest undoing. They tend to initiate same early in life, maintain it into
adulthood and if they are lucky to live long enough, the consequences of such
reckless behavior will now frustrates their health and wellbeing in later years.
Therefore, parents need to keep close tabs on their children; it is high time
we started making trade-offs between our work and our wards. If they are left
to smoke and drink, risky sex may not be too far from them.
Until
we control illicit drug use and fix social determinants fanning the ember of
risky behavior, our society may not witness the true peace we all crave.
There
shall be peace in our homes, peace in our nation and peace all around the
world.
Charles
Olomofe (MBChB,MWACP)
Health
and Behavioral Change Advocate
@chartol1
on twitter
References
1.
Building blocks for
tobacco control: A World Health Organization (WHO) handbook 2004
2.
Taylor A, Bettcher D,
Peck R. International law and the international legislative process: The WHO Framework
Convention on Tobacco Control. In: Smith R et al., eds. Global public goods
for health. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2003: Chapter 11.
3.
WHO clarifies processed
meat/cancer link after a ‘beacon-gate’. www.medscape.com
4.
Statistical report on
women and men in Nigeria. National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) December 2014.
