Aphrodisiac use among the youth: a worrying trend

Last weekend, whilst still recovering from the rather disgraceful end to the Black Stars' World Cup dream, I walked into a pharmacy to pick up some painkillers . As I entered the pharmacy, I chanced upon a group of young men in their late 20s and mid 30s at the counter. I picked up bits of their interaction with the attendant at the pharmacy and watched as they gleefully talked about the "drug" they were purchasing. 

 

Something about the interaction got the group to burst into bouts of laughter. Whilst still standing there waiting for my turn to be served, I heard one of them tell the rest in Twi, "aduro wei b3ma wu ako 3 rounds straight". To wit, "this drug will make you perform 3 rounds of sex at a go". This comment gave the young men away about the drug they were buying. Aphrodisiacs.

 

I smiled as I wondered why strong and energetic young men needed aphrodisiacs at their ages to please their women. Anyways, no sooner than that, it was my turn and I could not help but inquire a bit more about aphrodisiac use among young people which I later found out is on the increase lately.

USERS

According to the attendant, Elsie, their clientele base is made up largely of young people between the ages 25 and 38 years just like the group I met. She also intimated that most purchases are made on Fridays leading into the weekends. She however indicated that they have had much younger people walk in to buy aphrodisiacs. Most of their customers were males but they also encounter females once in awhile. A normal male adult is at his sexual prime between these years and should be able to perform at 'full capacity" without the aids of any stimulants or aphrodisiacs. So I found it a bit unusual the increasing numbers of males who are turning into sexual enhancing drugs for "stamina" and "vim" to perform. Are we looking at a society of randy young people who are now exploring all avenues to experiment with their sexual prowess? What could be accounting for this sudden surge for aphrodisiacs?

TYPES

I also found out that there were various types of aphrodisiacs; to think that I never noticed them in all of my previous visits to the pharmacy shop, beats me. There they were with fantastic names and colourful pictures of virile men and women with some intimate parts displayed on their boxes. Stone, one such aphrodisiac, promises a three hour erection to any one who dared to use it. I am told this particular one is quite popular among patrons. Black Diamond is another one which promises the same blissful time of pleasure. Spanish Fly, I hear, can turn the heads of the most reluctant lady if administered in drinks and other such medium. This sent shivers down my spine as I wondered how many ladies may have fallen to unscrupulous persons who gave them drinks laced with it.

Most of these products especially those at the pharmacies and drug stores are from destinations unknown; there are often no clearly stated country of origins on the packaging. Some are also known to be from China.  It is thus difficult to confirm their safety for use. There are no indications they have undergone any quality check with the appropriate regulatory bodies such as the Ghana Standards Authority, and the Food and Drugs Authority.

But then, aphrodisiacs are not limited to the foreign ones. These days, it is a common sight to see table top herbal medicine stands with their sales persons championing one herbal concoction or the other which they claim will make a man "go on long journey". These stands usually have carvings of the male phallus displayed as main attractions. I am informed they are very well patronized. Sometimes, sellers of such local aphrodisiacs board public transport and display their potent wares.

Television and radio ads are not spared as viewers and listeners are bombarded each day even during prime time with one advert of local liquor which allegedly also have aphrodisiac qualities. It appears to be the marketing norm lately to tag liquor with the aphrodisiac potency to boost sales  and patronage.

RISKS

Aphrodisiac use does come with some risks as pointed out to me by the pharmacy attendant who was blushing at this point. I was shocked to hear of tales of men being dashed to the emergency rooms with a long term erection a condition known in medical terms as Priapism. There are also stories of some who died after long hours of "enhanced" sex bouts. For those who lived to tell the stories, long use of such enhancement drugs finally results in infertility and sexual dysfunction. The lost of valuable human resources through such avoidable and preventable deaths is one which cannot be quantified. 

I believe we should be worried about the proliferation of such drugs on our market especially when no proper checks about their safety have been carried out. Of concern to us as a society also, should be on the reasons why young people especially the men, are going in for aphrodisiacs as a means of boosting and showing off their virility. The advertising of local liquor as an aphrodisiac must also be checked since it can promote excessive alcohol intake and encourage inappropriate behavior especially among young people.

Stunned by the revelations from the pharmacy attendant,  I walked out without picking up my drugs with a worried look on my face as I wondered what a horny society we are gradually becoming.

OF OUR DAYS AND CHILDHOOD MEMORIES

I am not so sure if they do it like this these days but, back in my primary school days, Our Day was such a big deal. It was easily the best part of school life at the primary level. Our Day (I don't know how it got to be called so) was the last day of a school term (and often the end of an academic year) and  it was a day of fanfare and merry making.

 

On Our Day, we wore our "Christmas dress" and our nice shoes to school and ate home cooked meals. Unlike these days when kids eat Jollof rice for breakfast and gulp down bottles of Coke and Fanta without any care, in my primary school days, Our Day was among the few occasions and opportunities a child had to relish the sweet taste of a bottle of Coke, Fanta or Sprite. And oh, we savored every drop of it. 

But then, it was all not about just one day. We would decorate our classrooms with paper ribbons days or weeks ahead of Our Day. In the absence of glue, we made sticky starch from dough to hold the paper ribbons together. Stubborn kids played with the starch and splashed some on their school uniforms but who cared, those uniforms were probably seeing their last days as new ones were to be expected when the next academic year began. Then came the balloons; in bright colours, shapes and sizes they adorned the classrooms and gave them a more celebratory fervour. But I never liked them; their rubbery scent always got me nauseous and the fear of them exploding into pieces always gave me the jitters.  

 Our Days always started the day before; you could easily notice that indeed it was going to be a jolly time once again. There was rice, meat, fish and all other ingredients needed for the meal. It is important to mention here that such meals were not eaten on a regular basis at home. No way! One had to deal with the likes of Banku, Akple, Yam, plain Rice & Stew as part of the menu on a normal basis; ain't nobody got time to be fixing Jollof rice and curried rice for children regularly. 

I hardly slept on the nights before Our Day not with adrenaline gushing through my veins looking for an exit. And anticipation of what a good day it was going to be. But then as hard as I tried to stay awake into the next day, sleep would always finally come for me and leave me with dreams. The first smell to hit my nostrils in the morning was the sweet aroma of Jollof rice, and chicken as I quickly make a dash into the kitchen to ascertain that my Our Day meal was ready. For most of us, we bought the 'soft drinks' on the morn of the event and boy, were we not glad to dash to the neigbhourhood store to collect our chilled bottle of Coke or Fanta. After a quick bath, we were ready to go for Our Day, as we looked dashing in our dress, and shoes (back in those days, I wore sneakers popularly called Camboos) and our food carefully tucked away in a nice picnic basket. 

For most of us children, Our Days were good photo opportunities;I have seen a couple of pictures taken on such occasions and the memories and emotions of good days gone they evoked are priceless. Of important mention here is the fact that the pictures were not instant or taken with digital cameras of today. Neither were they taken using camera phones which have become common place now. Definitely, there were no selfies on Our Day. A group picture of friends or the class were the norm then. Often, these pictures were submitted to the class several weeks later by the photographer. 

Our Days were not always fun days. There was often the case of someone dropping priceless chinaware or plate from home and the fear of a reprimand from an aggrieved mother (and I must confess he or she would be getting away lightly if that was all they received for their carelessness). I have always wondered why most parents allowed their children to bring to Our Day, the precious plates and other expensive kitchenware. But then I believe it was equally an occasion to showoff the riches of the home.  Many a bowl cover have been misplaced on such a day; never to be found as they drifted into history of the occasion. 

The fanfare of the day came to an end with the last school assembly session for the year. Most of whatever the teachers were yelling to our young faces were lost on us as we looked forward to going back to the classrooms to say a final goodbye to our mates. Term reports were given out on Our Day. For those who failed the exams or were repeating the class, whatever joys of the day they brought along quickly dissipated into thin air as the bleak unknown stared them in the faces. 

 

-2014

 

For Lawrencia Zigah