The youths of Sierra Leone are on dire straits. Not only are they educated without prospects for job placements or funding for start-ups, they are also being bombarded by a very deadly mix, all in an effort to forget their problems.
All across this country the young people have gotten into the very toxic habit of mixing two very controversial products with far reaching implications on their health outcomes than anything else they have tried. To the unsuspecting youth, tramadol is just another recreational drug that is being abused. But to the trained eye, tramadol is unadulterated heroin, pure opium.
Since we last checked, opium is probably the most addictive substance known to man. Now, mix that with the consumption of energy drink and you have a health scare of untold proportions for the majority of a population in a country with one of the worst healthcare service delivery set-up, not only in the region but on the continent and in the world.
“Tramadol and energy drink is a very deadly mixture. First of all tramadol is not just a pain killer. It is mainly made from heroin, which we know is very addictive. Heroin, which many people call opium, is probably the most addictive substance known to man. For a society with a very poor healthcare sector, the people and indeed the government and civil society have a lot to do to sensitise the people especially the young men about the twin dangers of energy drink consumption and abuse of the pain killer tramadol,” a civil society activist and head told this press.
For many young people, their foray into drug addiction usually starts with either sex or the need to dance or party all night. But after that has been sorted the user now find him or herself dealing with an addiction problem, which problem is hard to figure out by the unsuspecting addict who knows nothing about the withdrawal symptoms he or she is experiencing that is only resolved after the drug of choice would have been consumed to taste.
“Many people who start taking drugs usually start doing so to be able to perform sexually or because they had a need for the drug that is beyond prescription. They can also get involved after being pressured by their peers. No matter what, after this initial phase that makes you feel like superman, then comes the addiction, which for a society like Sierra Leone is not something that we are prepared for! Societies like ours are not built for drug addicts as we do not have the compassion to deal with such people. All across the country people are desperately doing all they can to put food on the table; then you have people who are not considering this existential need but decide to get involved in taking drugs, who will feel sorry for them?” the CSO boss asked rhetorically.
The CSO activists advised those in the habit of drinking energy drink that the product is known for causing kidney, heart, liver and other health problems.
“The serious problem here is that we consume energy drinks the most and sell them the cheapest on the continent yet when it comes to kidney treatment we are last on the continent. Just imagine the frustration: we consume all this energy drink that is known to pack your kidneys yet we do not do kidney transplants here in Sierra Leone. After years on dialysis and after spending hundreds of millions of leones when it comes to doing a transplant you will have to take your patient to either Ghana, Turkey, India, or Pakistan for transplant because since the last doctor to perform kidney transplant, Dr Kamara at Big Waterloo Street, passed away we do not have a specialist to perform such a lifesaving surgery. Our young people must know that tramadol is highly addictive. Mixing it with energy drink is a sure ticket to the grave,” the civil society activist warned the youths of today.
Tramadol use can lead to opioid addiction, abuse, and misuse, which can result in overdose and death. If you take it for a long time, your body can become used to it (known as tolerance). That means you need higher doses to control your desire for it. Although it is a pain killer the drug is being abused by how easy it is to get it without prescription. The more you take tramadol the more you will have to take to get that old feeling back. Chasing this illusion forms the core of tramadol addiction.
“The sad fact for our young people who are addicted to both tramadol and energy drink is that there is no serious help or assistance available to them in Sierra Leone. We do not have the kinds of rehab facilities and the trained social and healthcare workers to meet the needs of our growing list of addicts. Tramadol is pure heroin while energy drink is the biggest hoax in soft drink culture. Instead of energy, energy drinks affect your kidneys and responsible for many other health problems that we will not be able to take care of at present because of our poor healthcare facilities lacking drugs and equipment. Since addiction does not rank high up on the government’s list of priority areas, those who find themselves either addicted to heroin or finding it difficult to afford weekly dialysis sessions are solely at the mercy of God. The two of them are heading for the grave here in Sierra Leone,” the civil society don informed the youths of today.
Tramadol and energy drink is a deadly combination. However, there is hope or light at the end of the tunnel as it is possible for those addicted to these deadly products to quit and save their lives and reputation. It is never too late to start on the road to recovery, which starts with an honest admission of your problem. You have to admit that you have a problem for therapy to start. Lonta!