Meditation can help us rid of worries and tension leading to peace and relaxation, no need of resorting to drugs. By Rajyogi Brahmakumar Nikunj
Recently the Prime Minister of India during his live talk through All India Radio expressed his concerns over the menace of drug addiction that is creating havoc in the lives of young Indians and their families. We all have been reading about it as well as watching about it through various channels, however we are not really aware about the serious form that this social evil has taken in all the continents. As on today, the number of drug addicts in many countries, including USA and India has become so large that the countries feel threatened with unprecedented consequences if measures, on war footing, are not taken now. Just imagine the gravity of this problem that the Prime Minister had to speak about it on Radio and urge the citizens to treat it and handle it as a psycho-socio-medical problem. He went on to describe this menace of drugs that brings darkness, destruction and devastation.
In a survey conducted recently by some college students in Mumbai and Delhi, it was found that the problem has multiplied many folds in India in recent times. Also, it was found that the majority of the addicts are in their teens when they are laying the foundations of their lives. It was also discovered that about a fifth of the over-15 males are alcoholics. They also found that there are a number of causes which lead to drug addiction. These include social, economic, religious, and physiological factors. It was also found that there is a strong nexus between drug abuse and torn family life that often forces one to resort to drugs. This is because a person faced with such situation chooses drugs for its euphoric or mind-altering effect to escape from the immediate situation.
This escapism in turn compels the user to go back to the drug to avoid the trouble and it eventually leads to addiction. While it is necessary to face the problem and tackle it, the users more often than not are under the effects of drugs and neglect the situation. It, as a result, worsens giving way to further use of drugs to escape the problem which is already mounted. Thus, addiction and myths of stress relief associated with it makes a vicious cycle. Just imagine ,what will be the future of a society when such a large number of people are drug-addicts and alcoholicsIJ The real challenge here is that what the governments propose to do in these matters because merely fighting with the drug-traffickers, using guns and weapons is not the ultimate solution to the problem even though it is now necessary to control the illegal drug-productions, sales and exports.
Recently the US government planned to increase the strength of enforcement agencies, to devise a system of harsher and swifter punishment to the drug-dealers, to enlarge the justice system and have more courts, to make more prosecutions and to have more jails. But are these measures enough to rid the people of the menace of drug-addictionIJ No. In order to know the answer to this, we should know why, in the first place, people take on to drugs. As discussed above, one of the major reasons is that many people use these in order to get rid of tension or mental depression. So, unless and until people get to know such means whereby they can rid themselves of these, the problem would remain with us. It is, therefore, utmost essential that people learn the art of relaxing through technique of meditation whereby they can get rid of the burdens on their chest and can free themselves from worries and tension and can lead a life of peace and relaxation, living amidst problems.