Alcoholism: A silent plague affecting societies
Drinking effects on family life may involve serious mental health concerns for other family members as well
Shahid Amin
Alcoholism is commonly recognized as a major social problem due to its multiple consequences that influence not only an individual drinker but also society as a whole. The company normally pays a heavy price for alcoholism in the form of traffic accidents, family or household problems, health and medical expenses and interpersonal violence.
One of the major social consequences of alcoholism is its potential of negative impacts on the family. Studies indicate that alcoholism is behind the substantially high percentage of domestic violence, including physical or verbal abuse of partners or children, and is responsible for the breakup of many marriages.
Another important negative impact of alcoholism on community is its connection to higher levels of violent crime and neighborhood disputes. Generally speaking, alcohol use, especially at higher rates, is commonly seen as a significant risk factor for violence and crime. Recent reports suggest the victims are more likely to be under the influence of alcohol than any other drug in a number of violent crimes.
Alcohol creates havoc on the cognitive functions of a individual, decreases the ability of a person to think, decreases their judgment and self-control, impairs their decision-making skills, decreases their inhibitions and increases their susceptibility to risky behaviors. Alcohol can also exacerbate an imbalance in the emotional and mental states of a person. Combined, these factors may create a greater risk of a person becoming involved in violence or crime, either as the individual perpetrating these things, or a person who becomes the victim.
According to the fifth edition of Diagnostic and Statistical manual of mental disorders, alcohol use disorder includes drinking in an unhealthy pattern that greatly distresses a person or impairs them. Disorder of alcohol use disorder can be graded as mild, moderate, or extreme depending on how many diagnostic symptoms are present.
However, just because a person doesn’t currently suffer from an alcohol use disorder (AUD) doesn’t mean his or her alcohol use is healthy. Drinking can impair how a person perform as a parent, a companion, and how (he\she contributes to household functioning.
It can have lasting effects, for example through domestic accidents and violence, on their partner and children. Children can suffer Fatal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), when mothers drink during pregnancy. Parental drinking after birth can contribute to child abuse and various other impacts on the social, psychological, and economic climate of the infant.
Drinking effects on family life may involve serious mental health concerns for other family members, such as anxiety, fear and depression. Drinking outside will mean spending less time at home. When men drink, it often primarily affects their mothers or partners who may need to contribute more to the income of the household. Alcohol plays a role in a substantial number of domestic violence incidents, especially in the case of abusing husbands. Often both the offender and the victim have been drinking.
The connection between alcohol and domestic violence is complex and the alcohol’s precise function remains unclear. Heavy drinking has been closely linked to violence between partners and, to a lesser degree, to violence against others, likely because closeness enhances incentives for violence.
Eventually, there is also a strong link between alcohol abuse and a number of car incidents. This is particularly due to the numerous negative effects of alcohol on individuals’ poor judgment For example, as a depressant, alcohol usually slows down the brain and the body’s responses. On the other hand, intoxicated individuals also have an increased tendency to take risks. Combined, the two factors significantly increase the likelihood of accidents on our roads.
Studies conducted in Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, India, and Colombia for instance show that a large fraction of reported incidents of domestic violence are related to the male partner’s use of alcohol. In Uganda, for example, 52 percent of women who have recently experienced domestic violence reported alcohol consumption by their partner, and in India, alcohol was used by 33 percent of abused husbands.
There is a need to better understand the potential role of alcohol addiction or dependency in the processes by which incidents escalate into violence.
Due to the reasons, we noted above, alcohol may be a key factor within cases of sexual assault, especially those that are perpetrated against women. In addition to the ways that alcohol affects the individual committing the crime, alcohol is often present in the victim, causing great detriment to them, most notably making it harder for them to evaluate risk, and successfully be able to resist the assault, due to motor impairments, as noted by a National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) publication, titled “Alcohol and Sexual Assault.”
Annually alcohol kills 2.6 lakh Indians every either by causing liver cirrhosis, cancer or by causing road accidents because of drunk driving. These figures from the World Health Organization’s (WHO) global status report illustrates the connection between alcohol and health problems, prompting health officials to demand a national alcohol control policy on the lines of the tobacco policy.
The report explains that by 2020, 7.5 million people worldwide are expected to be killed by tobacco, representing 10 per cent of all deaths. The study reports that smoking triggers an estimated 71 percent of lung cancers, 42 percent of chronic respiratory disease and nearly 10 percent of cardiovascular disease. According to the report, alcohol-related deaths account for 3.8 per cent of all deaths around the world. Over half of these deaths result from non-communicable diseases, including cancer, heart disease, and cirrhosis in the liver.
The damage is not stopping in here. The impact of these public health issues extends into other realms, creating even more social issues, including those within families, the workforce, and the socioeconomic reality of our country, as the financial burden of care increases. Alcohol is a plague that has affected humanity since decades.
It renders societies ruined. This is a proven fact as it has contributed to the destruction of cultures. Needless to say, some states rely on liquor sales revenue. Some states have liquor shops owned by the State, and some allow private players. But careful economic management by revisiting the taxes and making use of natural resources will mitigate the loss of revenue due to a complete ban on liquor. States such as Gujarat have successfully enforced a complete liquor ban; thus, it is not difficult to enforce it. It is unfair to say that a complete prohibition on alcohol would promote the selling of illegal liquors.
In conclusion, the fact that alcoholism can severely impair the functioning of an individual in different social roles is particularly well established. While the contemporary society’s permissive mindset encourages alcohol use in a number of ways, addiction or alcohol dependence is related to various negative effects for both the individual drinker and society as a whole. Alcoholism is dangerous not only for the youth of state but for the youth of whole country. The habit of addiction does not only ruin their life and carrier but also the loss of family, society and country. We have to make our present and future better, save our families and society by saying no to alcohol. Government agencies, community NGO’s and every educated person must attempt to teach people about living an alcohol free life before they reach to a stage where treatment might be needed.
