Recognising that addiction to alcohol and drugs seems to be affecting a younger age group — as young as 25 years — the government has recommended that educational institutions work with the police to tackle the problem.
At a meeting called by the Bengaluru city police with educational institutions here on Monday, several school and college managements narrated their experiences of how working with the police helped them deal with the menace in and around their institutions successfully.
B.N. Gangadhar, Director, National Institute of Mental Health And Neuro Sciences, said that more younger people were addicted to alcohol. “While it earlier used to be people in their 30s, we are now seeing patients around 25 to 26 years who are addicted to it,” he said. Stating that many were having alcohol for the first time in their teens, he said educators in schools and colleges who interact with students on a daily basis could look out for symptoms.
Tasneem Taj, principal of Government Degree College in Yelahanka, said that students were silent sufferers as they were not getting an empathetic response to their problems. Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara said that there was a need for college and school managements to join hands with the police to address drug menace in the city.