Observe who your child moves with, and watch out for friends or those with whom he/she keeps contact on the phone as well as at school and outside to save them from the clutches of psychotropic substances, ROP warns parents.
Although it is a joint effort to save our children from drugs, women can play a better role towards achieving the same, an official of the drug control department at the Royal Oman Police (ROP) said.
“Saving a person from not using drugs or protecting from the menaces of drugs is a joint effort where every person around him or her has an active role. Women at home, mother, sister, wife or daughter, have better roles to play as they have better chances of observing a person’s surroundings at home,” the official said.
About the reasons, he said that most children get their first dose from their friends, and peer pressure to use alcohol and drugs can contribute to substance use disorders, potentially leading to addiction. Girls are more prone to fall prey to peer pressure.
Children tend to show behaviour and make choices depending on what they believe their friends want them to do once they are driven by peer pressure. If an adolescent thinks that drinking alcohol or doing drugs will make their peers respect them more, according to studies, the chances of them trying it at least one time is high.
To escape peer pressure:
1) Choose your friends wisely
2) Say an emphatic ‘no’ when a friend offers it
3) It is better to avoid such situations where you might be offered or tempted
4) While attending gatherings, bring along a friend or relative
5) Don’t fail to report to elders if anyone offers drugs
To maintaining zero tolerance to drugs and psychotropic substances, Oman established the National Committee for Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances by a Ministerial Decision No 78/2022 and is chaired by the Minister of Health.
The committee, besides proposing the general national policy in narcotics and psychotropic substances control to be adopted later by the Council of Ministers, it entails the development of the prevention and treatment plans in the fight against the illegal use of narcotics and psychotropic substances and follows up on their implementation.
@kabeeryousef
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
