Drug and substance Abuse in the Philippines

 By: Shane Andre D. Somido

Drug and Substance abuse is one of the most common problems that our country The Philippines is facing. Many Filipinos from a poor Families ages of 16 to 64 are addicted to a drug called methamphetamine or "shabu" this drug remains to be the main drug abuse comprising ninety-four percent of the total submission. The Philippines has the highest rate of methamphetamine abuse among countries in Southeast Asia. Drug abuse affects almost all the countries of the world. In the Philippines, it has reached epidemic proportions and is one of the top priorities on the government’s agenda.

I or we can Address these issues about drugs and substances abuse by Learning how to cope with stress and relax without the use of drugs, and by educating the people about the cause of using drugs and substances for them to be not ignorant and for them to know the risk factors of using Drugs so that they become aware and lessen the risk of becoming addicted to drugs, and there are many ways to overcome or prevent addiction, The first one is by surrounding yourself by supportive people or find new hobbies that can help you be distracted.

We can start to address this issue our way by spreading awareness on the internet and supporting the people by communicating with them and helping them to overcome their mental illness. Develop healthy friendships and relationships by avoiding friends or family members who pressure you to use substances. People often turn to drugs and alcohol when something in their life is missing or not working. Practicing stress management skills can help you overcome these life stressors and will help you live a balanced and healthy life.

The government created good communities that play a huge part in preventing teenagers like me from early substance use, and they've created many organizations to help families learn about drugs and substance abuse and support them to develop more effective leadership and governance for drug abuse prevention. Our government develops these strategies to help our country prevent drugs and substance abuse, first is Drug supply Reduction, the objective of this strategy is to take away the drugs from the person, next is the civic awareness and response this strategy is to promote public awareness about the effects of using dangerous drugs by prescribing the non-use of illegal drugs and substances.

I am happy to be a Filipino And I am happy to be born in this country, yes there are many problems that we Filipinos are facing in our country but we can still be happy and there are many positive things that this country has, besides having a major problem about drugs, We Filipinos are respectful and Kind towards our parents and to our neighbors, We learn to respect and give high gratitude to the elderly, and as a Filipino, we can make our country a better place not by hating our country or by blaming it, but by understanding what are the needs of every Filipino.