Navratri is here -- nine nights of singing, dancing and revelry have begun.

However, there's more to Navratri than meets the eye. Though many youngsters get high on music and dance, other stimulants sometimes play a role in this seemingly charming intoxication.

"Parents who are otherwise strict about curfew timings let their children stay out late for Garba and Dandiya Raas. This rare freedom, which lasts only for nine days a year, presents the perfect opportunity for some adventure and indulgence. Stimulants like alcohol and drugs are taken to make the evenings more colourful. Mostly, it is peer pressure and the need to seem 'cool' and belong to the hip gang that lead youngsters to do drugs or grab that bottle of beer," says psychiatrist Dr Mansi Sharma.

Michel, a rehabilitation expert at Prayer House, a social activity centre in Mumbai, says, "We often get cases of youngsters addicted to brown sugar, opium, hashish and so on soon after Navratri or Diwali, the reason being the liberal flow of money during these festivals. Parents give their children money for shopping and spending during the festival. Those from financially affluent families and young working professionals in their early twenties show off by consuming these extremely expensive drugs." 

Drugs that do the rounds

~ Marijuana or grass is the most widely used drug. It resembles dried herbs or tea and is usually smoked in hand-rolled cigarettes called 'joints' or water pipes (also known as hookahs or sheeshas). Easily available and not too expensive (depending on the quality), grass numbs the mind and gives a 'kick' that lasts for a while.

~ Hashish, commonly called hash, is the dried, compressed resin extract from the flower of the female poppy plant.

Sold in blocked pieces, it ranges in colour from light brown to nearly black and is much more potent than marijuana. It can, at times, prove to be toxic. It is usually smoked through a pipe or cooked/ baked in food.

~ Ecstasy, commonly known as the e-pill, is usually sold as small white/ coloured tablets/ capsules. Its effect starts within 30 to 90 minutes of consumption and could give the user an inflated sense of confidence and well-being. It can also cause anxiety, nausea, increased pulse rate, increased blood pressure, high body temperature, insomnia, poor concentration, sensations of floating, paranoid feelings and/ or a fear of persecution.

~ Heroin is a depressant. In its pure form, it is generally a white crystalline powder. The colour of street heroin varies from white to brownish-beige as it is usually cut (diluted) with glucose, quinine, talcum powder or other substances, including other drugs.

This unrefined heroin is known as Brown Sugar. Brown Sugar can be extremely poisonous and can damage the heart and liver. Heroin is usually injected, but can also be smoked (this is known as chasing the dragon) or snorted. The effects of heroin usually lasts between two and four hours.

~ Inhalants and solvents are the most popular drugs amongst adolescents. These are substances -- such as glue, gasoline, sprays, aerosols, antifreeze, correcting fluid, room deodorisers and paint thinners -- that can be sniffed/ inhaled.

Inhalants and solvents are habit-forming drugs. Since they are easily and cheaply available, young people use these 'gateway drugs' before moving on to other drugs of abuse. They can cause dizziness, confusion, headaches and hallucinations and can even lead to coma or death. Long term effects include lung or/ and liver damage, mental retardation and impairment of memory.

Aftermath of drug consumption

~ The affect of alcohol, grass or e-pills is instant and not long-lasting. But if drugs like heroin or 'hashish' are consumed, then youngsters are generally hooked on it for life.

~ Quitting drugs is a nightmare and acquiring them regularly is the start of just another chapter of misery. These drugs are very expensive and, in order to buy them, addicted youngsters get caught in the rut of everything from drug peddling, stealing, lying at home, robbery to much worse.

Michel holds the urban lifestyle responsible for the increasing cases of drug addiction. "A lack of parental care and excess in flow of money in the house lead youngsters to resort to drugs. Parents are so busy with earning money and spending time in their social circuits that they simply have no time for children. They wake up only when their children are completely hooked on to drugs and need to be brought to rehabilitation centres. And then they expect us to use a magic wand and get them back to normal in a jiffy, " she says.

~ Rise in unwanted pregnancies post-Navratri and the spread of HIV and other STDs is another major aftermath. By the time these musical nights get over, the spirits are high and there already been easy and close interaction with the opposite sex. There is no one to control the youngsters and, because of the mood they are in, sexual interaction can easily follow.

Dr Kiran Coelho, who heads the gynaecology department at Mumbai's Leelavati Hospital, explains, "Girls are rarely allowed to go unescorted and enjoy dancing. Since they are otherwise curbed, they tend to let loose during this period and end up getting sexually involved. Guys obviously don't deter from taking full advantage of a girl's weak moment and, in the frame of mind they are in, girls do allow guys to take advantage of them. Most of them are unaware of what they are doing and thus end up indulging in unprotected sex. The result is unwanted pregnancies and the risk of HIV and other Sexually Transmitted Diseases, owing to unprotected sex," she says.

How to have fun this Navratri

Yes, you want to have fun. Do have it the clean and safe way by keeping away from addictions of any kind.

Once you get trapped in drugs, there's a slim chance of getting out. Rest assured that spending your life in a rehabilitation centre is not a fun thing.

Here are a few tips for celebrating this Navratri safely, so you do not regret these nine nights in the future:

~ Keep away from groups that do drugs. You don't need to belong to a group that smokes grass or smacks brown sugar or snorts coke.

There are other ways of being cool and hip. Dress smart. Dance well. Speak smart. Groom yourself and enjoy the resulting attention. Indulge in harmless flirting and feel like the prince/ princess of the evening.

~ Do not be under the misconception that if you can handle alcohol, you can handle drugs. Drugs are more addictive than alcohol so keep away from drugs in any form, whether its grass, cocaine, heroin, inhalants or solvents (narcotics that dissolve in liquids, like some forms of acid).

~ Do not consume anything without knowing what it is. Eat or drink only what is made in front of your eyes. Your fruit juice or pani puri can be spiked with clear, relatively odourless alcohol drinks like vodka and gin. So make sure you know what is finding its way into your mouth. Thumb rule: if it tastes unfamiliar, don't have it.

~ If your boyfriend/ girlfriend thinks it is cool to do drugs and insists on your indulging in it too, talk sense to him/ her. If they do not understand your point of view, it's time to say goodbye and head for home. Love wears off, addictions don't.

Drugs lead you to a dark alley from where either there is no return or, if there is, it is too long-winded and twisted. So say no to drugs. Be safe this Navratri! 

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