Namibia tackles chronic alcohol abuse

ACCORDING to a study conducted by the World Health Organisation Namibia has the seventh highest rate of alcohol consumption in Africa.
The scourge of alcohol abuse in Namibia has long been cited as one of Namibia’s biggest developmental hurdles. In addition, alcohol abuse is closely linked to domestic violence, poverty and the spread of HIV.

This week, the Ministry of Health and Social Services and the Namibia Blue Cross organisation launched a three-day training course aimed at developing a national policy which will outline an overall Namibian approach to the socio-economic and developmental issues linked to chronic alcohol misuse in Namibia.The Blue Cross is an organisation that assists in the prevention of substance abuse. Dr Norbert Foster, the Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Social Services, told participants that studies indicate that in Africa ‘the onset of alcohol use is happening at a younger age, but that prevalence rates of alcohol use are also increasing.’ Evidence shows that this trend is true in Namibia too.The National Working Group responsible for developing an alcohol policy explained the objectives of the policy: ‘Recognising that alcohol misuse is a major public health problem, with devastating socio-economic consequences, the long-term goal is to institute a balanced mix of primary, secondary and tertiary interventions – aimed at harm reduction – that are affordable, accessible and appropriate to the Namibian context.’The need for a national policy on alcohol abuse has become one of the Ministry’s prime targets and Foster calculates that the last draft of the alcohol policy should be available in the first half of this year.Foster told participants that Namibia ‘has come a long way with issues related to alcohol’ but that a policy is now needed to ‘move things forward’.He warned of the important correlation between alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harm and said that in Namibia alcohol is easily available, even to the youth.Several obstacles need to be overcome in order for alcohol and drug addiction to be treated optimally. One of these issues is the lack of alcohol treatment facilities in rural areas, Foster said. A USAID study published in August 2009 stated that one of the two main factors that are ‘likely drivers in the HIV pandemic in Namibia’ is alcohol consumption. This is closely linked to the prevalence of people having sexual relationships with more than one partner at the same time.’The findings clearly show … that people who drink are more likely to have casual sexual relationships and not use condoms.’ Research further showed that ‘the concept of drinking in moderation is uncommon in Namibia … Most informants who drink alcohol do so to get drunk, while several informants describe ‘drinking to get happy’.’