Adverse impact of increasing alcoholism

While spending a couple of nights in a hospital to take care of a relative i could witness firsthand the havoc alcoholism is causing on young drivers. As per statistics a third to a quarter of road accidents are related to drunken driving. It is consuming young lives.

One need to recognize the role of irresponsible governments in the increasing rate of alcoholism in the country. Drive across the main highways and towns in the any of the states one can find multitude of wine shops dotted across the landscape. Alcohol provides a big revenue stream to the states and hence they turn a blind eye to the social impact of this dangerous addiction. They just churn out new licenses every year to eke out more revenue from liquor sales.

As per latest data nearly 30 to 35 per cent of adult men and five per cent of women are regular consumers of alcohol in India. The earliest age at which alcohol is consumed has changed significantly — from 28 years in 1980 to 18 years in 2010.
It is well know that Alcohol consumers have a higher incidence of mortality, hospitalization and disabilities due to injuries. Nearly one-third of night road traffic injuries and deaths are attributed to alcohol use. About one-fourth of violence and other forms of abuse against women and children were linked to chronic alcohol use.

A recent study showed India as the largest producer of alcohol in the world, contributing 65 per cent of total production and nearly seven per cent of imports within the region. The data from the International Wine and Spirits Record and said the sale of alcohol liter cases went up from 72,000 in 2000 to 200 million in 2009.
Country-made liquor and rum are common in rural areas. Home-made local brews continued to be popular in select communities, especially in the northeast and Goa. In general it is observed that social costs of alcoholism far exceeded the revenue generated from sale of alcohol. A recent study revealed that nearly one of three patients above 25 years of age entering emergency rooms has shown acute to chronic effects of alcohol.

Total prohibition is imposed in Gujarat and Mizoram while partial prohibition continued in Karnataka since 2007-08. The experience of prohibition across Indian States revealed that while prohibition had a marginal impact in reducing availability, it promoted smuggling. The policy of increasing taxes on alcohol by successive governments had only been generating more revenue and had no desired impact on consumption patterns.

Governments need to wake up to the reality of the social costs that alcoholism is imposing on the state and invest in policy and education to make citizens aware of the frightful consequences of alcoholism.

ref : NIMHANS study