Alcoholism a social menace; Role of women in handling it

A sociological perspective *

Introduction

The present article is restricted only to highlight causes and side effects of excessive alcoholism, behavioral pattern of alcoholics , role that governments , voluntary sectors and women can play in its prevention, increasing consumption and handling this social menace. In India women drink less due to cultural reasons as it is less acceptable. Women are more aware of the side effects, moreover they are the sufferers in majority of cases. Data shows that theproduction and consumption of alcohol is on increase. In India during the90’s alcohol consumption entered the living rooms and slowly more and more members got involved.

Causes of increasing alcoholism in middle and lower income groups;

• According to studies alcoholism has risen sharply in the last 15-20 years and affects a large number of people struggling with alcohol disorders. No one wishes to develop it but it creeps in before one realizes about the addiction .People generally believe that there will be no addiction but very soon mind and body form a dependency on the alcohol intake. Every other day a study is published in favor of alcohol drinking … time and again it is stated that few drinks are good for health. This encourages people and also becomes an excuse for people to have drinks. . It has also been found that PEOPLE HAVE STARTED DRINKING AT A LOWER age from the school and its consumption increases with the age. There are other reasons also for increasing alcoholism like Rise in economic status in urban middle class society as both husband and wife are working ; people have more social security , small families less expenditure, fewer liabilities, more independence, no restriction, less social responsibilities. Reasons vary in each economic group and community; be it in urban or rural areas common factor is easy availability of alcohol and group influence.
PRESENT SCENERIO

All gatherings with majority male participants include hard drinks be it a birthday party , marriage ceremony, success celebrations . Sometimes drink parties are also organized to celebrate failures or to pass through sad moments. Along with drinks a lot of non-vegetarian food is also consumed in middle income groups. The main problem is that people who are suffering themselves, even they don’t realize or don,t want to be convinced about the damage alcoholism does to them , their family and to the society as a whole.

• Some alcoholic elders try to convince other family members irrespective of gender including their wives, other women, own daughters and daughters- in-law. The reason being given is ,its need of the hour to remain part of modern society .Some say this reduces boredom of women and they have equal rights but the fact is, it becomes easy for men in the family to drink as there will be no one to protest or object .The latest trend is that women started hard drinks mixed with soft drinks to give company to other guests and gradually it becomes a habit Sometimes they also convince / challenge other women. Thus more and more people become part of their group.
• Boredom may also lead many men drink regularly .Women give company to their husbands so that they don,t go out to clubs, pubs , or bars and other places for drinks .
• To show freedom and equality in all spheres of life including fun and enjoyment, women get into the habit of drinking alcohol which is considered as a sign of modernity .
• Recently it has been observed that even many women senior citizen who are free from their social responsibilities, have surplus money , feel loneliness get into it . Some women join clubs and recreational centre’s for socializing and get habit of drinking.
• It is also being observed that many young professional girls also try to convince their parents including mothers , mother in laws ,aunts and other women .
• Due to globalization and modernization ,outings and trips within India and outside India are increasing and hospitality sectors encourage drinking. Companies arrange free drink parties for advertisements.
• Too much liberty / independence to young generations , or even elders is also a reason .Social fabric is breaking … nuclear families are increasing . No one likes to be checked or under control of anyone..
. There is more idleness .To pass time, people spend more time on watching TV , watching movies , chatting on mobile phones or just roaming in markets. Getting into habit of drinking is also one of the pastimes.
• Lack of awareness about the side effects of alcohol is also one of the factors .Side effects of excessive alcohol is not emphasized at school and college levels .Media is also not playing its role of communicating the impact of this negative social change.
• Some people are not able to cope up the pressure and stress at home and at family level and end up taking refuge in drinking.
• Some people drink to boost their self-confidence, self-esteem, to relieve stress and tensions .
• Many times drink parties are arranged on the occasion to launch new products by businessmen .
• Some people drink just to be a part of the group in office social gathering.
• In many cases men of lower income groups spend their earned money on alcohol and for meals they are dependent on free food offered at religious places. Even middle-income group people are getting into this habit.
• It has also been observed that even if alcoholics try to leave alcohol , they are not able to control due to withdrawal symptoms.

Affect of alcoholism

1. Affect on self ; mental and physical health Various side effects may develop depending upon the extent of drinking , diet pattern and life style of the person and family circumstances. Some of the side effects are low self-esteem ,less self-respect ,lacking self-confidence attitudinal changes , high cholesterol and uric acid , liver problems , insomnia , high blood pressure , changes in behavior ; irritability , low tolerance , aggressiveness, mood swings , depression lack of logic and reasoning . Body coordination also gets effected . There is also affect on thinking process and brain functioning gets affected and reasoning power deteriorates . It has also been observed that there are chances of Self harm .Other health problems like obesity in middle income groups or deficiency of protein , calories ,vitamins and mineralsparticularly in lower income groups is quite common .
2. Affect on financial position Many lower income group men spent a major portion of their earned money on drinking . They will not go for work till they exhaust their earnings. Once money is finished then they will go for work again .These type of cases can be found in any profession but are more common in self employed people where there is no one to check them . Few examples are washer man / daily wagers , vegetable vendors ,drivers , laborers etc. The amount of money spent on alcohol consumption by each person differs from family to family and social network and their economic conditions .
3. Affect on personal relationships All relations gets affected .Strain between husband–wife affects intimacy between them, Relationships with parents, with children, with neighbors, with colleagues, with bosses, with outsiders also gets affected . Domestic violence is common reasons .families having alcoholics members have frequent quarrels . Atmosphere at home usually remains tense .It has Harmful effect on friends and socialcircle. Overall family position and status decreases . People try to avoid alcoholic families.
4. Affects on job / profession work at home as well outside Alcoholism affects students and their studies, regularity at work place and work output and job opportunities . It harms particularly the lower income groups. Even middle income groups also gets affected. People driving cars , bus , plane ,two wheelers and three wheelers become risky for themselves as well as for others.
5. Affect on growing children, women and other family members… domestic violence adversely affects family atmosphere. Members suffer from poor health due to financial constraints as major part of income is spent on consumption of alcohol. Mental, physical and emotional health of children gets affected. Constant tension affects children’s confidence andself-esteem and overall personality. Sometimes they get trapped into bad habits, do antisocial activities and run away from home . Many times it has been observed that children also start drinking secretly, sometimes steal money for alcohol or other drugs .
6. Long term affect on the family Problem passes from one generation to another, either due to environmental factors or due to genes. Many studies have also proved that due to overconsumption of alcohol and drugs there are changes in genes.
7. Work capacity may decrease due to hangover in mornings, ill health, mood swings, inability to get up in mornings, loss of stamina and interest in work, and other reasons as mentioned earlier .
8. Alcoholics may develop antisocial traits like lying , theft , burglary , abuse , cheating , fraud, manipulative ,fighting . Stealing , fighting are common ,It effects safety and security of women and children and causes more stress on women in terms of providing protection to herself and to her children. Maintaining respect in society becomes difficult .Earning money for livelihood becomes more important , looking after other family members and ensuring secure future for her children becomes her sole responsibility, .
9. Bankruptcy and debt; Habitual heavy drinkers having irregular and less income may go bankrupts, fall into the traps of in debt and legal issues. Some people, who get addicted, mortgage and sell their household items, have no social security for their family and themselves.
10. There are more accidents by alcoholics and road rage is also common.
11. Sometimes drinkers of lower and middle income groups SWITCH TO LOWER COST BRANDS or spurious drinks causing illnesses and even deaths.

Suggestions and solutions for prevention, and handling alcoholics

There is no one foolproof solution for handling the alcoholism menace. A combination of various actions have to be implemented at various levels . Actions that are sustainable and practical without any counter effects needs to be chosen .Self-control , self-confidence , self-restriction , self-esteem , purpose in life , activities to avoid boredom play a big role in avoiding getting into trap of addiction . A few suggestions are given below ;

1. Ladies sharing and getting ideas with other women about ways of checking ,controlling and tackling alcoholism is more beneficial rather than narrating and cribbing about what is happening in their homes .
2. Major role has to be played by governments by controlling and restricting sale of alcohol .States and Central governments should plan Special programs on Orientation for women and men to educates people about side effects of alcoholism and handling of thecases .
3. Creating awareness by media by publicizing its harms, damage and side effects should be done aggressively and not half-heartedly.
4. Voluntary Sector should take up alcoholism problem more seriously and launch various activities including training of more social workers to educate people and should also do policing .
5. Confident and bold women with leadership qualities should come forward and take a lead in community to mobilize other women to keep an eye in their families and neighborhood .
6. Resident welfare associations( RWAs)can also play a vital role .They can check if any new liquor shop is opening in their area particularly near schools colleges , bus stops , markets , playgrounds and take necessary action .
7. At home adults should avoid drinking before children and should not encourage other people .
8. Educating and convincing girls of all economic strata ABOUT HARMFUL EFFECTS / DANGERS of alcohol consumption is important .
9. Girls need be brought up in such a way to have enough self-confidence, high self-esteem, independent and should have ability to distinguish between good and bad practices . Should be able to raise their voice for right cause and confident to fight any social evils INCLUDING ALCOHOLISM .
10. MOST OF THE ARTICLES published ARE ON HARMFYL AFFECTS BUT NOT ON Root CAUSES AND CONTRIBUTING FACTORS of alcoholism .MORE DETAILED LONGITUDINAL STUDIES ARE REQUIRED to study sociological perspective .NATIONWIDE SURVEYs ON THE IMPACT OF DRUG ABUSE AND ALCHOLISM are being done . Academic institutions should also take up more in-depth analytical studies .
11. More sports clubs and recreational spots will help people spend their time in a constructive way .Children should be encouraged to join extracurricular activities like walking , martialarts, adventurous sports and other out doorgames .) Other activities like painting , music , cooking , writing , reading gardening , yoga and meditation are beneficial .Visiting people and doing social service also keeps people busy in a constructive way .
12. Age restriction in pubs, restaurants and hotels is being implemented, but more strictness and stringent rules are needed.

* Nirmal Tikku , Ex Deputy Director NIPCCD, December 2018