By Shahed Kamal
(Interview) KUWAIT, Dec 16 (KUNA) -- Parents set the example for the youngsters to follow and play a prime role in their upbringing and immunizing them against serious hazards such as narcotics.
Dr. Yaacoub Al-Kanderi, a sociology professor, said in an interview with Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) that parents play a great role in raising good-mannered children and those who lack presence and care of the seniors tend to seek alternatives to fill the compassion void.
Youngsters deprived of such vital care look for other examples to follow and in some cases, they choose to follow footsteps of drug addicts and criminals. They may also seek to fill the sentimental void via the social media and become prey of bad influencers.
Dr. Al-Kanderi had conducted a study, in cooperation with his peer, Dr. Humoud Al-Gishaan, examining cases of the addicts at the Central Prison and the Psychiatry Center of Bashaer Al-Khair society.
Examining a sample of addicts at correction facilities, Dr. Al-Kanderi and Dr. Al-Gishaan discovered that 90 percent of the cases started taking narcotics when they were less than 24 years of age.
This is a dangerous index, Dr. Al-Kanderi has said, for it shows that most of the addicts start taking drugs at young age, therefore this is when protection should be applied, not only providing treatment.
The society needs a protection system rather than a treatment process to stop drugs' spread, he re-emphasized, also stressing the necessity of good guidance to the youth to prevent from acquiring the harmful habit.
In addition to the role of the families, religious, educational, health, civil associations and the media can play a significant role in this regard, Dr. Al-Kanderi said. In Fact, schools' role comes after that of the families, in addition to the input of the social and psychological specialists.
Collective action on part of all these parties can decrease drugs-related problems.
Kuwait is not a drugs' exporting country, however there are gangs that promote the harmful commodities and traffic them into the country, he said, warning that the actual numbers of the addicts is quite large. (end) shd.rk