IN KEEPING with its stated mission to not only concentrate on developing the skills of the participants on the field, but also make them well-rounded individuals who could then become valuable assets in our society, Digicel, organisers of the nationwide schools football tournament added another dimension to its repertoire this year. On Thursday last, at the Bartica Secondary School, the cellular giant retained two specialists from the ‘Social Life Issues’ Counselling Institution, the husband and wife pair of John and Faye Greaves  who journeyed to the Essequibo Island to educate the young players on the perils of using tobacco, alcohol and marijuana.
Speaking before a packed house that included Regional Chairman Gordon Bradford, Regional Education Officer Charles Holmes, Digicel Representative Devon Dooker and teachers, Mrs Greaves, who opened the talk spoke about the harm alcohol, could create to the body.
Addressing specifically the ill effects players could feel by using alcohol, Mrs Greaves revealed that it could impair the proper judgment of the brain causing players to lose focus and not think correctly, adding that it is a mind-altering substance that is considered a drug by many health organisations across the world and is even regarded as one of the most dangerous drugs in the open market today.
Mrs Greaves urged the young players to abstain from the use of alcohol which medical personnel says can cause liver disease, blurred vision, impair the memory and even lead to addiction.
She also highlighted the danger of a woman using alcohol during childbirth, informing that it could result in the child being brain-damaged, while a condition known as ‘Fetal Alcohol Syndrome’ could also develop causing lifelong damage to the child with no improvement even as an adult.
It was a stirring presentation that was well received by the general audience, who were later enlightened on the dangers of tobacco and marijuana and their ill effects by Mr Greaves, who pointed out several illnesses caused by them.
He mentioned medical researchers have concluded that tobacco is a deadly weapon to the human body because of the many dangerous substances that could be found in it.
Greaves disclosed chemicals such as nicotine, tar and carbon monoxide could be found within tobacco which could cause cancer in the mouth, while lung cancer, high blood pressure due to clotting are all dangerous to the human body.
On the subject of marijuana use, Greaves, while acknowledging that the drug is widely used urged the young players to avoid its use since it could have destructive consequences to their lives.
According to him, some of the side effects of using marijuana are impotency, addiction, imprisonment, brain damage, cancer, destruction of the immune system, heart disease and mental problems, all negative effects to being beneficial to an individual’s family and the society at large.
Bradford in his comments said he was extremely proud to see so many young persons in attendance, especially knowing the reason they were there.
He then extended special thanks to Digicel for hosting the tournament and called on the youths to not only see the on-field rivalry as the principal gain, but also take the opportunity to interact and know each other, while taking seriously, the advice being offered by the two experts.
Holmes in his presentation thanked Digicel for the work they have been doing within the respective communities. He welcomed the visitors and encouraged the players to do their best, adding that success is measured on how well a team is able to work together.