A surge in teenagers sniffing glue and getting high on petrol fumes has sparked calls in Bahrain for heightened parental vigilance over the summer holidays.

Rehabilitation support network the Addicts Friends Society, which runs weekly workshops to help people who have a problem with drugs, says it has witnessed an increase in addiction among teenagers, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

Add to this an excess of free time and lack of supervision over the summer break and substance abuse among schoolchildren could become even more prevalent, according to society president Ali Mirza.

“We are noticing in our weekly programmes that children aged 16 to 18 are talking about sniffing glue and petrol,” he said.

“There is an increase in the number of people coming to our workshops and seminars seeking help, which indicates the problem is growing in the country.”

Mirza urged parents to attend the society’s weekly workshops, which are held every Monday at the National Centre for NGOs in Tubli, so that they can identify if their child has a drug problem and learn how to deal with it appropriately.

“Please be careful and learn to spot the early signs of drug addiction in children,” he said.

“It is difficult for families to deal with an addict in the house, so they should be prepared for it.

“There are many girls who are affected by this problem as well, but because of cultural sensitivities their families do not take them to rehabilitation centres.

“They want to hide it from everyone as it brings a bad name to the family, but we encourage everyone to come forward and attend the weekly sessions we organise.”

Mirza said another challenge that the society faced was the availability of drugs and substances of abuse in Bahrain, despite the authorities’ best efforts.

“We appreciate the efforts of the concerned bodies in busting drug crimes and arresting individuals, but these drugs are still easily available,” he said.

More than 1,000 people, including 436 Bahrainis, were arrested for drug-related crimes last year, according to the latest Interior Ministry statistics.

There were also 31 deaths due to drug overdoses last year – the highest number since 2010.

The GDN reported on Monday that a massive drug haul with an estimated street value of BD200 million had been seized by the Interior Ministry’s Anti-Narcotics Directorate, working in co-operation with regional authorities.

Among the cache, believed to be the biggest seizure in the history of the Gulf, were 24 million Captagon tablets. - TradeArabia News Service