Young Adult age is the period of growth and accomplishment. In this time, they try to become more independent by experiencing the different aspect of life, as a result sometimes they might fall into the different negative experience like drugs. Drug addiction is a brain disease that develops over time as a result of the voluntary behavior of using drugs. Drug abuse also plays a role in many social problems, such as violence, stress, child abuse etc. Like many other countries in Bangladesh, it is a terrible threat to the youth. There are millions of drug-addicted people in Bangladesh and most of them are young, between the ages of 18 and 30.
As a part of Experiential Learning Activities (ELA), the Counseling Unit of the BRAC University organized a seminar on “Awareness on Drug Dependency” on Sunday, June 5, 2016 at BRAC University at Residential Campus, Savar. The objectives were to create awareness on tobacco and drugs, let the students know about the preventive measure and support systems which are available at BRACU to help them to stop taking drugs. Mr. Rehan Ahmed, Campus Superintendent of Residential Campus greeted the audience and introduced the seminar as well as the distinguished guest speakers. Renowned Counseling Psychologist, Professor Dr. Mehtab Khanam, started the seminar and welcomed the student with the insightful concept about counseling and personality. Then one guest speaker, Mr. Zahid Iqbal, Project Coordinator at Dhaka Ahsania Mission discussed the concept of tobacco and drugs, types of drugs, drug addiction, and negative impacts of using drugs on individual, family and society. Later on, another guest speaker, Imtiaz Simon Mahmud shared his personal experience of how he recovered from drug addiction. His distressful life experiences regarding drugs touched the audience very much. Then again Professor Mehtab Khanam, discussed the human personality structure and function of different EGO state. After that, a role play was conducted by two members of the Counseling Unit regarding how students can protect themselves from taking drugs by using the different function of EGO state.
Throughout the seminar, the students were responsive. The queries they made in the Q&A session asserted their high level of motivation to stay away from the drug abuse. All the students of RS, Summer-2016, the members of the Counseling Unit and admin and management staff of BRAC University, Residential Campus were present there and the seminar was ended by giving thanks to them.