There are many factors that motivate youngsters to take alcohol or drug. These include:

• Choosing a good peer group.
• Discussing ways and means to counteract the presence if any with family elders and teacher/counselors.
• Telling the programme of an outing to family.
• Keeping contact with family while outside the home.

This can be avoided by the following measures:

(i) Education and counseling: Educating and counseling people to face problems and stresses, and to accept disappointments and failures as a part of life.

(ii) Seeking help from parents and peers: Help from parents and peers should be sought immediately so that they can guide appropriately. Help may even be sought from close and trusted friends.

(iii) Looking for danger signs: Alert parents and teachers to look for and identify the danger signs. Even friends, if they find someone using drugs or alcohol, should not hesitate to bring this to the notice of parents or teachers in the best interests of the person concerned.

(iv) Seeking professional and medical help: Lots of help is available in the form of highly qualified psychologists, psychiatrists, and de-addiction and rehabilitation programmes to help individuals who have unfortunately got in the quagmire of drug/alcohol abuse.

(v) Cross-checking before prescribing and selling drugs: The physicians should prescribe the habituating drugs only to genuine persons and only for the essential duration. Pharmacists should not sell these drugs without the physician’s prescription.

(vi) Discipline: Good nurturance with consistent discipline but without suffocating strictness reduces the risk of addictions.

(vii) Communication: The child must be able to communicate with the parents seeking clarification of all doubts and discussing problems that arise in studies or develop in the class, with friends, siblings and others.

(viii) Appreciation: For even the smallest achievement, good behavior and other activities, the child should be appreciated.

(ix) Independent working: Giving responsibility to the child for small tasks and allowing him/her to perform independently. However, guidance should be provided where required.

(x) Avoid undue pressure: Every child has a specific personality with certain preferences and choices. They should be taken care of and respected. No child should be asked to perform beyond threshold limits whether in studies, sports or extracurricular activities.