It was shocking to hear Caritas Director Mgr Victor Grech say that two per cent of clients seeking help from the institution started drinking alcohol or taking drugs between the ages of eight and 10.
We are talking of children who are still at primary school level. What next?
Two per cent as a figure on its own may seem little when compared to the overall picture, but when one tries to understand its implications it is apparent that we have a serious problem that needs to be tackled promptly.
The first question that needs to be asked is why should eight-year-olds be drinking alcohol and taking drugs at such a tender age.
Shouldn’t they just be going to school, doing homework and spending their free time playing?
At that age, children are supposedly still too innocent to even think about drugs and alcohol, let alone start smoking cannabis and drinking wine or whisky. So why is this happening?
And who is to blame for all this? Is it the parents? Is it other relatives? Is it the school? Is it some older friends? Is it society?
It is easy to say that everyone has to carry part of the blame. But the problem is what we are doing to address the situation. Is it enough?
Several agencies – Caritas is not the only one – have been set up and have been working for many years to help young people who find themselves gripped in the vices of drugs and alcohol.
No doubt, they are doing sterling work in providing rehabilitation services that are aimed to help these people start a new life and re-integrate themselves into society.
These agencies deserve all the financial and physical support that they can get, and this is never enough considering that alcohol and drug abuse are on the rise.
During a Caritas press conference to launch a DVD of two Xarabank programmes on the drug situation in Malta, it was said that the estimated number of problematic drug users in Malta, defined as current daily heroin users, is between 1,500 and 1,700, aged between 15 and 64. Compared to other European Union countries, Malta ranks on the high side.
Cocaine and cannabis are the most popular secondary drugs among registered clients in treatment at Caritas.
People who are caught in such a trap need help, and they know that they can get it.
Perhaps their biggest difficulty is to seek such help, and in such circumstances it is the relatives and friends closest to them that could push them towards a better life and give them the necessary backing while they undergo treatment.
The other side of the story is what should be done to prevent young people from taking up the habits. And this is where education comes in.
Schools are known to have allotted time to give their students knowledge and background on such situations in the hope that children realise the harm they could get into if they start drinking alcohol and taking drugs. In this respect, it is believed that such “lessons” are having a good effect on the students.
Again, this does not seem to be enough, and this is where parents and relatives have to play their part. Schools should continue to create awareness among the students, if anything the number of such lessons should be increased. But parents and other people the children come in contact with should also do their bit.
Every effort should be done to help people do away with drug and alcohol abuse once they pick up the habits. And every effort should also be made to prevent people from starting.