Question

what are hallucinations and how can we prevent high school students from taking the drugs at a musical festival?

Answer 1

A hallucination is a sensory perception or a sensation that a person experiences in absence of relevant stimulus.So, the person is experiencing something that is not happening or even exists ( except in his/her mind). Hallucination may occur in any sensory modality such as auditory, olfactory, visual, gustatory etc. The most common type of hallucinations are auditory such as 'hearing voice' and can be a symptom of Schizophrenia. Visual hallucinations are also relatively common.

Concerts or the music festivals are great time to enjoy live music however some people may use them as excuse to abuse drugs. Among them teenagers or high school goers are most vulnerable. Research has shown that human brain is not completely developed until the age of 25 and most of the dramatic changes takes place during adolescence. So teens are not equipped mentally to make best decisions about their health and future. So the teen-drug-abuse not only possesses the potential threat of addiction but also drug-deaths due to overdose have been seen.

So how can we stop this?

1.First and foremost strategy to accomplish reduction in drug abuse among teens is education. All the students regardless of their backgrounds and potential drug abuse should be educated about the detrimental effects of drug abuse. The teenagers who are identified at risk due to their family or personal problems and community backgrounds and those who are already showing the signs of drug abuse should be well taken care of.

This strategy is often called as 'harm reduction' approach. It is based on the philosophy that one cannot control his or her behavior completely and some people will do risky, dangerous and illegal things even knowing that the outcome may hurt them. Supporters of harm reduction approach would educate others on how to avoid those dangerous things. Several educational initiatives have been created according to the needs of the students in this regard.

2.Family involvement in teens lives- Parental influence has the biggest impact on a teens life. The teens who talk to their parents openly about drug abuse and its bad effects are less likely to develop drug addiction. Having an open communication with parents, teachers etc about these problems should be encouraged.

3. Some of the media including movies, songs and video games paint drug abuse in a positive light. If possible these influences should be avoided though sometimes they are just unavoidable. The parents should talk about the messages,portrayed in those and help teen to understand that substance abuse is not 'fun' as they have numerous bad effects.

4. Although most of the music festival organizers have 'zero tolerance policy' towards drug abuse but presence of drugs is not unheard in festivals. Many music festivals implementing new methods to addressing the presence of drugs in the concert. Such methods include drug-sniffing dogs and pat-downs, high numbers of doctors and nurses and EMT. While these measurements will not stop teenagers to do drugs but may reduce the number of deaths due to substance abuse.

5.There should be a good surveillance on the supply of the drugs as well as drug-dealers who target these festivals for selling of drugs. Administration and the festival organizers should work hands in hands to stop them and provide a safer place for the concert goers especially the teens.