Anti-drug and Alcohol Abuse Zambia

14/11/2021

Anti- Alcohol and Drug Abuse Zambia (ADAAZA) youth commemorating World no Alcohol Day which fell on 3rd October, 2021 whose theme was SOBRIETY.

21/04/2021

21/10/2020

We must do our best to help our friends, colleagues, relatives or any person that is trying to fight drug addiction. We should not despise or laugh at them, but we should embrace them and help them overcome it.

16/10/2020

The Danger of Alcohol Abuse

ALCOHOL ABUSE and HEART DISEASE

Typically the patient would be a male between 25 and 35 years. They present to hospital in heart failure. Symptoms of heart failure are difficulties breathing, cough, swelling of legs, getting tired easily and failing to sleep flat unless propped up on many pillows.
When examined they have an enlarged heart that is to weak and cannot pump blood. The good part is that they respond well to treatment and if they stop taking alcohol the heart reshapes back to near normal. Unfortunately, alcohol abuse is usually an addiction as a result most get worse.
Drink responsibly. Drink water.

11/10/2020

What are the health risks of secondhand smoke?

Your smoke is also bad for other people - they breathe in your smoke secondhand and can get many of the same problems as smokers do. This includes heart disease and lung cancer. Children exposed to secondhand smoke have a higher risk of ear infections, colds, pneumonia, bronchitis, and more severe asthma. Mothers who breathe secondhand smoke while pregnant are more likely to have preterm labor and babies with low birth weight.

11/10/2020

Why should I stop smoking?

You’ll live longer, feel better and have more money to spend on things and activities you like doing, like business. You’ll also protect people around you who used to breathe in your smoke.

If you already have a lung condition, stopping smoking is the best step you can take for your health and quality of life. It will help you cope with your symptoms and stop your condition getting worse.

For example, smokers are 5 times more likely to catch flu.
It’s never too late to stop, no matter how long you have smoked for. Your lungs will work better, even if you stop when you’re over 60. If you stop smoking when you’re 30, you’re likely to live 10 years longer.

Your friends and family will be healthier too. People who breathe in second-hand smoke are at risk of the same diseases as smokers. Second-hand smoke is particularly dangerous to babies and children as their lungs are still developing and are much more vulnerable to breathing in toxic materials.

Stopping is a key way to protect your children’s health in the long term. Children are much more likely to take up smoking if their parents smoke.

11/10/2020

Inhaling any smoke is harmful

This especially includes smoking other substances such as cannabis. Cannabis smoking is associated with developing emphysema. You can become addicted to cannabis, and just like to***co, cannabis smoke contains cancer-causing chemicals. If you mix cannabis with to***co and smoke it, you’re at risk of becoming addicted to ni****ne too.

11/10/2020

There’s no safe way to use to***co:

1. Cigarette brands marketed as low tar, light or menthol are not safer than other ci******es. Smokers get similar amounts of tar and other chemicals.
2. Roll-ups are just as dangerous as manufactured ci******es and can be more dangerous without filters.

Smoking ci**rs or pipes is also bad for your health.

Sh**ha smoking, also called ho**ah or waterpipe, also contains to***co. The smoke goes through water, but contains the same dangerous chemicals and is just as harmful as normal cigarette smoke.

11/10/2020

Why is smoking bad for me?

To***co smoke contains over 5,000 chemicals including ni****ne. Ni****ne is highly addictive. Smokers smoke for the ni****ne but are harmed by the tar and other chemicals. Many of them can cause cancer. Others are poisonous, such as hydrogen cyanide, carbon monoxide and ammonia. When you smoke, these chemicals can damage your lungs but also pass into your blood and spread through your body. Smoking can affect every part of the body - from your skin to your brain.

Outside the lungs smoking causes heart attacks, strokes and cancer. On average, smokers live 10 years less than non-smokers. Smoking to***co is the biggest avoidable cause of death.

10/10/2020

Can alcohol abuse be prevented or avoided?

If you have a family history of alcoholism or alcohol abuse, you may have to work harder at resisting or limiting alcohol. Other ways to reduce your alcohol consumption include:

1. Limit yourself to one drink when by yourself or with friends.
2. Seek treatment for underlying mental health conditions.
3. Avoid spending time with others who abuse alcohol.
4. Talk to your doctor.
5. Consider joining a support group made up of others facing the same challenge.

Your doctor may screen for alcohol abuse. Local and international standards of alcohol regulation recommend screening adults aged 18 years or older for alcohol misuse. Also, it is highly recommended to teach teens between 12 and 17 years old to avoid alcohol.

10/10/2020

How is alcohol abuse diagnosed?

Many people who are abusing alcohol will hear from family and friends that they have a problem. Generally, doctors believe a person is abusing alcohol when:

1. Repeated use of alcohol interferes with your responsibilities at work, home, or school.
2. Repeated use of alcohol puts you or someone else in physical danger (driving, operating machinery, mixing alcohol and medicine, drinking alcohol while pregnant).
3. Repeated alcohol use leads to legal problems.
4. Repeated alcohol use harms your relationships.

10/10/2020

What causes alcohol abuse?

People abuse alcohol for many reasons. It may be due to social pressure, a desire to relax, a coping mechanism for anxiety, depression, tension, loneliness, self-doubt or unhappiness, or a family history of abusing alcohol.