THE EFFECT OF TRAMADOL ABUSE ON NIGERIAN YOUTHS IN KABONG, JOS NORTH

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background to the Study

Drug abuse is a major problem that has led to serious public health and social issues in Nigeria These days. Among young people, tramadol has become one of the most popular misused prescription opioids. It's a fact that tramadol was intended as a prescription medication for treating moderate to severe pain. Though, non-medical use of tramadol has drastically risen among Nigerian youths. This escalating drug abuse trend has drawn the attention and concern of health workers, school teachers parents the law enforcement, and government who are worried about its negative impacts on the physical mental educational, economic, and social aspects of the life of the youth. The latest research shows that a lot of Nigerian youths take tramadol not only for medically related reasons but also for other reasons such as getting physically stronger, working harder, being more confident, having fun, and relieving emotional stress and economic problems.

In Nigeria, there is a considerable proportion of the youth population, which means that the fate of the nation largely depends on the productivity, well-being, and moral upbringing of the country's youth. However, growing rates of unemployment, poverty, peer pressure, discrimination, insecurity, and availability of psychoactive substances have led to increased drug abuse rates among adolescents and young adults. The choice of tramadol is mainly driven by low price, widespread availability through illicit routes, and low dangers associated with tramadol compared to other drugs. These beliefs have caused many youths to participate in excessive consumption of the substance, regardless of the severe effects that this form of opioid abuse can cause. According to recent research conducted in 2024, the reasons behind risky consumption of tramadol among Nigerian youth include the desire to obtain pleasure, escape boredom, and overcome adverse life situations..

Misuse of tramadol in the youth in Nigeria is associated with many outcomes. The frequent use of tramadol might lead to addiction, memory issues, lack of concentration, mental illnesses, mood changes, anxiety, depression, seizures, poor academic results, family conflicts, violence, and crimes. Young people who are drug abusers suffer from low academic performance because of their regular absenteeism, lack of focus in the class and lack of ability to do academic assignments. The same is true about young people working at workplaces since they may have poor results at work, accidents at work, and poor social relations. In addition to this, the misuse of tramadol leads to additional burden to the families, the health sector, and the entire society by increasing costs of treatment, crime rates and low economic productivity..

The Nigerian government and its agencies have employed different strategies to minimize drug abuse. Some of these strategies include stricter regulation of pharmaceutical products, conducting public enlightenment campaigns, border surveillance, and enforcement against drug trafficking. Still, the availability and abuse of tramadol are still common in many areas of the country. Researchers believe that interventions will be effective only if law enforcement is combined with enhancing mental health services, youth empowerment programmes education job creation, and prevention strategies based on evidence that address the social and economic conditions of drug abuse.

On this note, this research aims to investigate the impact of tramadol abuse on the Nigerian youth. Knowledge of the causes and effects of tramadol abuse is a sine qua non for the formulation of interventions that will help to safeguard young people, enhance public health, and contribute to national sustainability.

Statement of the Problem

The rise in tramadol abuse among Nigerian youths has increasingly turned into a major concern to the public health and development sectors of the country. Tramadol while being a drug that should be used only for medical treatment purposes under the supervision of a healthcare professional, is taken by many young people without prescription, at times even dangerously high doses. The spread of this habit has been linked to addiction, decrease in academic performance, mental health problems violence engaging in risky behaviours, and drop in productivity. In fact, the circumstances are worsened by the issues of unemployment, peer pressure, poverty, and the illegal distribution of pharmaceutical opioids. Even with the government taking steps aimed at restricting the availability of tramadol and fighting drug trafficking, the number of cases of young people using tramadol in ways other than their doctors have prescribed continues to rise among teenagers and youths.

Really this problem is still around shows that the current measures might not be sufficient to tackle the deep-rooted social, psychological, and economic factors that lead to drug abuse. Because of this, It is best to research on how tramadol abuse affects Nigerian youths so that data from the research can help in making effective policies, prevention programs, and rehab strategies..

Purpose of the Study

The main objective of this study is to find out how tramadol addiction affects the youth of Nigeria. This study intends to find out what are the reasons behind tramadol addiction in Nigerian youths, its effects on their physical and psychological well-being, its impact on their academic and professional life, and how it can be curbed in Nigeria.

Research Questions

The research is motivated by the following research questions:

1. What are the main reasons for tramadol abuse among Nigerian youths?

2. What are the effects of tramadol abuse on the physical and mental well-being of Nigerian youths?

3. How does tramadol abuse impact the educational and professional achievements of Nigerian youths?

4. What actions can be taken to prevent tramadol abuse among Nigerian youths?

Significance of the Study

This research work would inform the decisions/actions of government agencies, healthcare professionals educators parents NGOs research scholars, and policymakers. It would yield data that administrators of drug prevention programmes could utilize in resource/personnel planning and training, campaign organizers in sensitization and awareness creation, rehabilitation centers to improve or make effective their services, and the policy units of the government in formulation and implementation of drug-related legislations. Besides this, the manuscript adds to the literature of the problem of opioid misuse and serves as an archive to scholars who would continue to investigate the subject in the future.

Scope of the Study

The study is going to be conducted on the impact of tramadol abuse among the youth in Nigeria. In this study, there will be the exploration of factors leading to tramadol abuse and its impact on health, educational attainment, behavioral aspects and socio-economic growth.