Alcohol Abuse Needs To Be Tackled

WORRYING statistics on alcohol abuse in Namibia were made available during the commemoration of the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking this week.

Although these would not come as a shock to most Namibians who openly acknowledge this fact, we should nevertheless be propelled into trying to do something about it! The findings were the result of a survey by the Social Impact Assessment and Policy Analysis Corporation, and were highlighted this week by Simon Nhongo, Resident Co-ordinator for the United Nations. The report reveals, among others, that more than half of Namibian adults consumed an average of 10 litres of alcohol a week.It also broke down the percentage of users, citing Windhoek to be the ‘drinking capital’ (69,9 per cent of the adult population).Other statistics included the southern region with 65,2 per cent and the northern regions with what many felt was a surprisingly low figure of 26 per cent.The statistics may well be open to scrutiny and debate and even dismissed out of hand (we were not told how the survey was carried out and what number of people polled), but there are few people who would contest the fact that alcohol is widely used, and more often than not, abused, in this country.Unicef Goodwill Ambassador Yvonne Chaka Chaka, who spoke at the event, highlighted alcohol abuse as an ‘evil’ that needed addressing throughout African societies.”Alcohol abuse and its effect on families are at the core of underdevelopment in Africa,” she stressed, adding that “because of alcohol abuse …so many women and children are being raped, murdered brutally and beaten …and because of alcohol abuse, many people are having sex without condoms”.The report also looked at drug abuse in Namibia, which although also prevalent, is not as extensive.”While illicit drugs are certainly a problem, and sadly, a growing one for Namibia, the most serious challenge facing us is a drug most of us have at home and consider harmless and even fun.The drug I am speaking of is alcohol,” said Nhongo.The point he raises is also an important one.While world opinion has galvanised against something like tobacco addiction, for example, campaigns against alcohol abuse are few and far between in comparison.While comparisons are odious, and particularly in this regard, it is true to say that of all ‘drugs’ alcohol is probably the one that more often fuels acts of violence, particularly against vulnerable members of society, such as women and children, than any other addictive substances.Yet it is mostly regarded as ‘acceptable’, and as Nhongo pointed out, very freely available and present in most homes in the country.Like most ‘evils’, including cigarettes and other drugs, alcohol is a part of global society that will never be completely eliminated no matter what campaigns are launched to warn against it or ban it for that matter.There is therefore little to gain from berating the point.However, there are steps that can be taken, if a society like ours is serious about tackling this evil.There are no limits on the numbers of bottle stores and shebeens – except perhaps municipal regulations prohibiting the sale of alcohol near schools, etc – and both are proliferating in Namibia.We all know what happened with recent attempts to license the informal section of this industry, and the uproar it created, and this for one reason primarily: money is to be made from the sale of alcohol! Government could not only stand its ground in licensing fewer liquor outlets, but it could also make liquor more expensive.Some may argue that it has done so already, and that it’s unlikely to solve the problem, as high price hikes for smokers have not necessarily deterred those who indulge.But it may make many think twice! Much depends on tougher sentencing as well, especially with regard to driving under the influence; and of course, education campaigns on the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse, especially for schoolchildren.There is much that can be done to at least reduce alcohol abuse.If we want to tackle it seriously, we can take the example of other countries, which have led the way in this regard.It is vital that we do so to avoid the ‘nation of drunkards’ description that was warned against by former President Sam Nujoma.The report reveals, among others, that more than half of Namibian adults consumed an average of 10 litres of alcohol a week.It also broke down the percentage of users, citing Windhoek to be the ‘drinking capital’ (69,9 per cent of the adult population).Other statistics included the southern region with 65,2 per cent and the northern regions with what many felt was a surprisingly low figure of 26 per cent.The statistics may well be open to scrutiny and debate and even dismissed out of hand (we were not told how the survey was carried out and what number of people polled), but there are few people who would contest the fact that alcohol is widely used, and more often than not, abused, in this country.Unicef Goodwill Ambassador Yvonne Chaka Chaka, who spoke at the event, highlighted alcohol abuse as an ‘evil’ that needed addressing throughout African societies.”Alcohol abuse and its effect on families are at the core of underdevelopment in Africa,” she stressed, adding that “because of alcohol abuse …so many women and children are being raped, murdered brutally and beaten …and because of alcohol abuse, many people are having sex without condoms”.The report also looked at drug abuse in Namibia, which although also prevalent, is not as extensive.”While illicit drugs are certainly a problem, and sadly, a growing one for Namibia, the most serious challenge facing us is a drug most of us have at home and consider harmless and even fun.The drug I am speaking of is alcohol,” said Nhongo.The point he raises is also an important one.While world opinion has galvanised against something like tobacco addiction, for example, campaigns against alcohol abuse are few and far between in comparison.While comparisons are odious, and particularly in this regard, it is true to say that of all ‘drugs’ alcohol is probably the one that more often fuels acts of violence, particularly against vulnerable members of society, such as women and children, than any other addictive substances.Yet it is mostly regarded as ‘acceptable’, and as Nhongo pointed out, very freely available and present in most homes in the country.Like most ‘evils’, including cigarettes and other drugs, alcohol is a part of global society that will never be completely eliminated no matter what campaigns are launched to warn against it or ban it for that matter.There is therefore little to gain from berating the point.However, there are steps that can be taken, if a society like ours is serious about tackling this evil.There are no limits on the numbers of bottle stores and shebeens – except perhaps municipal regulations prohibiting the sale of alcohol near schools, etc – and both are proliferating in Namibia.We all know what happened with recent attempts to license the informal section of this industry, and the uproar it created, and this for one reason primarily: money is to be made from the sale of alcohol! Government could not only stand its ground in licensing fewer liquor outlets, but it could also make liquor more expensive.Some may argue that it has done so already, and that it’s unlikely to solve the problem, as high price hikes for smokers have not necessarily deterred those who indulge.But it may make many think twice! Much depends on tougher sentencing as well, especially with regard to driving under the influence; and of course, education campaigns on the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse, especially for schoolchildren.There is much that can be done to at least reduce alcohol abuse.If we want to tackle it seriously, we can take the example of other countries, which have led the way in this regard.It is vital that we do so to avoid the ‘nation of drunkards’ description that was warned against by former President Sam Nujoma.