Re: [Goanet] Rising alcoholism puts Goa on a high!
Alcohol is a deadly killer, not unlike smoking. These 'pastimes' have caused great distress in all families, including my wife's immediate family my immediate family. It has been said that some people who drink smoke to excess (alcoholics daily smokers) are pre-destined to being addicted to certain chemicals, for instance if you take 100 people at random, a certain percentage will be addicted almost immediately to the alcohol, as they do with cigarettes. Of course drugs can be included in this, depending on the type of drug. Some strong drugs will take hold of you, even if you are not predisposed to them. Alcohol however, like cigarettes is a different story. Here in the UK where pubs abound, the culture of alcohol consumption is being looked at by the government. They banned cigarette smoking in public 'confined' spaces (even at bus shelters), in fact anywhere the public gather, and now are looking at alcohol disorder zones for some towns cities where alcohol abuse by the young is way out of control. Some places in England, Wales, Scotland Northern Ireland there are a no-go areas due to excessive drinking in pubs, clubs these branded bars who sell the drinks very cheaply have no conscience about how much someone is being served, as long as they are paying for the drinks, these girls boys end up being sick in the streets, passing out on the pavements and bushes, urinating where they stand, fights occur the police are trying to stem the tide of violence, but all to no avail. We need stricter laws.. In Goa, I am sure you have experienced the drunken Brits who have had too much to drink are a nuisance, not only the noise, but the vomit, urinating and other unsocial habits, but in Goa I guess you also have the added burden that its only the Brits who do this, and then you also have the drugs.. Its a vicious cycle, repeated every Fri Sat here in the UK, the youngsters have nowhere to go, nothing to do and certainly have lots of money to burn. a mere handful out of hundreds of thousands of these 'yobs' ever thinks to save up for their future, for their marriage, buying their first home, And so the next generation of addicted alcoholics will keep the drinks companies happy. John Monteiro -- Goanet News Service [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Rising alcoholism..PANJIM, JUNE 7 - Sunita Naik is in her mid-thirties but life ahead is too grim for her. She has the responsibility of raising two children. Her husband drowned in alcoholism, died last year - his body was found in rotten state in the bushes on the outskirts of the village. - Regards John Monteiro
[Goanet] Rising alcoholism puts Goa on a high!
Rising alcoholism puts Goa on a high! PANJIM, JUNE 7 - Sunita Naik is in her mid-thirties but life ahead is too grim for her. She has the responsibility of raising two children. Her husband drowned in alcoholism, died last year - his body was found in rotten state in the bushes on the outskirts of the village. Ramkrishna Bicholkar is very talented, working as an officer in a central government organisation. His company demoted him when his absence from work became more frequent thanks to his drinking habit. He disappears without informing any body. His wife has been so fed-up with his disappearing act that she has literally given up on him. Babli Matkar who drank very heavily, had made life miserable for his wife and five children. Whenever he came home drunk, his children rushed to neighbour's house, to escape from his abuse and beating. He burnt his own house on two occasions while under the influence of alcohol. He died recently of liver cirrhosis. These are not isolated cases of alcohol abuse in Goa but they are everyday happenings in many of the Goan homes. Alcoholism is a big social problem and needs to be tackled before more homes are destroyed, warns a long-time member of the Alcohol Anonymous (AA) in Goa. He suggested that the State Government should stop issuing licences for new alcohol shops as easy accessibility is one of the reasons why Goan lads catch up with drinking habit, early. This small State with a population of about 15 lakh has 10,000 plus alcohol shops. According to traffic police, there is spurt in the cases of drunk driving. Many accidents have been caused because of riding/driving in inebriated state, however, we would not allow this, says Arvind Gawas, Superintendent of Police, Traffic. The department has recently procured more alco-meters to detect and prevent alcohol related accidents. Of the total 4630 deaths reported in Goa Medical College (GMC), Bambolim, during last two years, 423 deaths (9.14 per cent) were related to alcohol related diseases, said Dr R G W Pinto, Prof head of the Pathology department. Dr Pinto warns that alcoholism is certainly on rise in Goa. The cases of alcoholism received at the Institute of Psychiatry and Human Behavior (IPHB) have also risen in the last five years (see box). Prior to 2000, cases reported to us were below 200, but during last five years, there's been steady increase in the number of patients. Last year, we admitted 341 chronic cases, told Dr B S Cuncolienkar, Medical Superintendent of IPHB. These patients are in the age of 18 to 35 who started drinking at a very young age. More than 50 per cent of them go back to the bottle despite the treatment and succumb to alcohol related diseases by the time they turn 45. We give them treatment but can't change their social environment which is why they take to drinking again, says Dr Cuncolienkar. In these circumstances, support groups can play a great role. The AA is active in Goa and is doing great service in helping people to get rid of the habit. (Names of the people in the article have been changed to protect their identity) http://www.oheraldo.in/pagedetails.asp?nid=5210cid=2
