The document discusses substance abuse among young people in Malawi. It defines substance abuse and lists some commonly abused substances such as alcohol, cigarettes, chamba, and sedatives. Peer pressure, stress, and curiosity are cited as reasons for young people abusing substances. The document notes myths about substances and their effects. Consequences of substance abuse include risky sexual behavior, mental illness, dropout, and poverty. Prevention strategies mentioned include life skills education, community mobilization, and counseling.

1. SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND
YOUNG PEOPLE

2. UNIT OBJECTIVES
• Definition of substance abuse
• Scope of substance abuse in Malawi among
young people
• Myths and conceptions on substance abuse
• Most commonly abused substances in Malawi
• Consequences of substance abuse among
young people
• Prevention of substance abuse

3. Definition of Drug and substance abuse
1. Drug-substance used as medicine. Substance
that stimulates the nervous system especially
one that is addictive
2. Abuse-a maladaptive pattern of substance use
leading to problems in psychosocial, biologic,
cognitive/perceptual or spiritual/belief
dimensions of life. It is the excess use or wrong
use of something.
3. Substance abuse-it is also the use of chemical
substance to alter or modify behaviour.

4. WHY YOUNG PEOPLE ABUSE
DRUGS
• Peer pressure
• Easy to get
• To seek peer approval
• Rapid social changes
• Stress and anxiety
• To deaden pain
• To help stay awake when studying
• Emotionally deprived and lonely
• Frustrations
• Rejection by parents

5. Myths and Misconceptions on
substance abuse
Myth Fact
1 Alcoholism is a Alcoholism is a disease that responds to treatment, which
disease that is include eliminating all alcohol consumption and
difficult to cure psychosocial counseling
2 Alcohol and Alcohol and chamba are not the only abused drugs in
chamba are the Malawi. Other drugs include tobacco, mandrax, glue,
only drugs used by cocaine, heroin, petrol
young people
3 Alcohol is not a Alcohol is both a drug and an addictive substance. It
drug, it is just an affects the mind and body.
addictive
substance
4 Driving after using Like alcohol, chamba affects motor coordination, slows
chamba is as reflexes, and affects perception (the way we see and
dangerous as interpret events around us). All these changes increases
driving after the likelihood of an accident while driving
drinking alcohol

6. Myth Fact
5 Drinking alcohol among young people Most young people are initiated into drug
is hereditary and alcohol use by peers
6 It is rare for a teenager to be alcohol Many youth abuse alcohol and many are
addicted
7 Cigarette smoking is fashionable and Cigarettes contain nicotine which addictive.
not addictive Cigarette smoking is harmful for your
health. It has been found that smoking is
associated with lung cancer. It is especially
more dangerous to pregnant women to
smoke because it affects the lungs and
breathing of the fetus as well as the
development of the brain.
8 Alcohol and drugs help young people Alcohol and drug make young people
handle their problems better temporarily forget about their problem.
Their problem do not however go away
9 Substances like glue (inhalants) are Substances like glue and petrol can be
basically harmless even though adults extremely dangerous. Unlike most drugs,
make big deal about them inhalants can cause permanent damage to
organs like liver or brain

7. 10 Alcohol is sexual a stimulant Alcohol like cocaine and other drugs, can actually
depress a persons sexual response. The drug can
lessen inhibition with asexual partner but it causes
problems such as inability to have erection, loss of
sexual feeling or inability to have orgasm
11 A cup of coffee and cold shower Drinking coffee and a cold shower will not sober a
will sober a drunk person drunk person. One becomes sober with passage of
time. It takes one hour for the liver to process one
gram (1g)of pure alcohol.
12 When people stop smoking If there is no permanent heart or lung damage, the
cigarettes, they can not reverse body begins to heal itself when one stops smoking
some of the damage to the body
13 Cigarette smoking every now As soon as people start smoking they experience
and the is not harmful i.e. once staining of teeth, bad breath, and a shortness of breath
a week that may affect their physical performance. Addiction
to nicotine is very quick. People who smoke for any
period of time have got a greater risk of cancer and
other lung disease, cancer of tongue and throat and
heart diseases.

8. Myth Fact
14 Chamba is not harmful, it Chamba has long term effects such as decrease
helps adolescents and young in motivation, memory loss, damage in
people to study, to remove coordination impaired judgment, damage to the
shyness, to be reproductive system and throat and lung
strong/powerful and irritation
become intelligent.

9. Most Commonly Abused Substance Among
Young People
DRUG AND EXPLANATORY NOTES EFFECTS
SUBSTANCE
Alcohol •Alcohol is a depressing •Euphoria (exaggerated feeling of well being)
drug with the potential •Intoxication
to destroy health if •Ataxia (staggering gait)
taken in excess •Over consumption causes death, beats up in
•Commonly abused homes, unplanned sexual encounters
substance among •Causes inflammation of the liver (liver cirrhosis)
adolescents and young •It drains more money from individual and
people in Malawi family
•Speech is slurred
•The mind tend to be clouded i.e. ones ability to
perform tasks is reduced.
•Could lead to head trauma ( injury )
•Nutritional deficiency

10. DRUG AND EXPLANATORY NOTES EFFECTS
SUBSTANCE
Cigarettes •Mostly used by young people •If used over a long period of time it
•Tobacco contains nicotine, a causes lung cancer and heart attacks
drug that is more addictive.
Nicotine is a tranquilizer and is
found in cigarette
Chamba •It is a dried plant material from a •Irritation of throat
plant called cannabis sativa •Dryness of the mouth
•It is known with different names •Blood shot eyes
among young people in various •Increased appetite for food
parts of the country. •Drowsiness
•It is popularly known as: •Disruption of thought and speech
•Marijuana •Addictions
•Fodya wa mkulu •Untidiness
•Malawi Gold •Knee jerk reflex
•Ganja
•Jah
•Nanzi
•Weed

11. DRUG AND SUBSTANCE EXPLANATORY NOTES EFFECTS
Sedatives (sleeping drugs) •Commonly referred to as •Ability to trigger suicidal
sleeping tablets and that thoughts
they are manufactured for •Increase in dosage would
medical use result in overdependence
•Meant to reduce tension
and anxiety and induce
sleep
•Mostly sold at the black
market

12. WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF
SUBSTANCE ABUSE?
• Leads to casual sex and rape which will lead to
contracting STI’s, HIV, and getting unplanned
pregnancy.
• Mental illness
• Drop out of school
• Loss of memory
• Loss of motivation
• Leads to poverty
• Youth become less productive
• Makes one live a world of fantancy

13. PREVENTION OF SUBSTANCE
ABUSE

14. What are the workable strategies
you have used/known in
prevention of substance abuse
among young people

15. Strategies in prevention of
substance abuse
• Engagement and role of young people
• Engagement of guardians and parents
• Information, education and communication
• Life skills education
• Community mobilization
• Guidance and counseling
• Policy advocacy, and strengthening of ban on
young people in purchasing drugs i.e. chamba,
alcohol, cigarettes.