Article Title :
Regulating and Controlling Addiction among Youth @ 2047

Author Name :
Lalit Kumar

Keyword :
Addiction, Substance, Behavioural, Impulse Control, Youth, Viksit Bharat, Universal Education.

Publisher :
Politic India Publication

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Abstract :
Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent urge to use a drug or engage in a behaviour that provides the individual with a so-called needed reward. The irony of addiction is that the affected individual cannot live in a normal state without the required substance or behaviour. Usually, it falls into two broad categories: Substance Addiction and Behavioural Addiction. A third type of addiction is known as Impulse Control Addiction. Physical/Substance addiction demands alcohol, tobacco, opioids, etc., as rewarding agents, whereas behavioural addiction is associated with sex, food, work, pornography, etc., as relievers from stressful states. Impulse Control Disorders are associated with the urges and behaviours that pose a risk to the individual or others. A large portion of our youth suffers from addiction, which turns our demographic dividend in a negative direction. Without regulating addiction among our youth, we will not be able to achieve a Viksit Bharat by 2047. Although we possess extensive knowledge and data on addiction through research in various fields, what we need is an integrated approach for its regulation, management, and control. Education is the most potent means for this, and our educational institutions must be held accountable. The government must put proper educational policies and plans in place and take decisive steps. We, along with our education system and the concerned government, must take measures such as ensuring universal primary education for one and all; providing universal and vocational secondary education to all; focusing on publicly funded tertiary education; strengthening publicly funded higher education along with technical and professional education; designating a weekly or fortnightly electronic gadget-free day in educational institutions from primary to higher levels; arranging frequent group activities in every educational institution in the nation; and employing more group-centred methods and approaches across all classes. Among the four pillars of Viksit Bharat specified by the government—Yuva (Youth), Garib (Poor), Mahilayen (Women), and Annadata (Farmers)—the youth is the key pillar as it cuts across every other group. Viksit Bharat @ 2047 demands the channelisation of our youth’s potential to its maximum limit, for which they must be protected from every form of addiction. Addiction regulation, management, and control must become our national agenda to attain our ultimate goal: Viksit Bharat @ 2047.