KOLKATA: The age at which an average person begins drinking hard liquor
has dropped from 28 years a decade ago to 18 now, an indication that a
sizeable number of school students is consuming alcohol. With 16% of
drinkers turning alcoholics in India, the decline in drinking age can
potentially trigger an explosion in the number of people suffering from
alcoholism.
A person is labelled an alcoholic if he or she has the urge to consume alcohol daily and downs more than two pegs.
"Not only do a lot of children experiment with alcohol at a very tender age, the social acceptance of drinking in urban areas is expanding the vulnerable group. While not everyone who drinks liquor turns alcoholic, the lower the age of consumption, higher the chance of a person becoming addicted to alcohol," socio psychologist Nandini Chatterjee said on the sidelines of a meet organized by Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), a support group for alcoholics.
While de-addiction from alcohol and dealing with withdrawal symptoms requires serious medication, AA helps addicts cope with the change and stay off the bottle through a structured spiritual programme. Following actor Aamir Khan's endorsement of AA in a television programme that delved into the disease called alcoholism, over 3,00,000 people have called AA for help, another 50,000 have sent SMSs and 100,000 more gave missed calls. The Kolkata chapter of AA received around 10,000 calls, many of them from youngsters.
"There have been calls to our office in Kharagpur and Burdwan as well. Several of the callers are young boys and girls. Many called on the spur of the moment after seeing the programme. But when we called back later, a big chunk tried to evade the issue. The common excuse was someone had dialled the number by mistake," said Rana, a former alcoholic and an active member of AA.
Given the extent of the problem, the organization has decided to set up units in these towns as well as Darjeeling, Siliguri, Cooch Behar, Malda, Murshidabad and Birbhum.
Psychiatrist Rima Mukherjee said she received three types of patients: chronic alcoholics, spouses depressed by alcoholism and children with behaviourial disorders triggered by alcoholism in the family. "Alcoholism is a disease that not only affects the patient but afflicts the entire family," she said, adding that a person generally turns alcoholic when one is hungry, angry, lonely or tired.
She though admitted that many doctors did not treat alcoholic patients in the same way as others. "Since psychiatry isn't a subject in the undergraduate level, most doctors do not handle alcoholic patients with compassion. They don't even refer them to psychiatrists," she said.
Physician Sudarshan Pal, who has worked in Kolkata Port Trust for 30 years, said he had encountered hundreds of alcoholism cases, mostly in group D staff who took to alcohol as a means to escape from drudgery. "They begin consuming alcohol. Soon, it is the drink that consumes them. They fall ill, become habitual absentees. Many die of lever cirrhosis and related ailment before retirement," he said.
Mukherjee and Chatterjee, however, clarified that alcoholism was equally prevalent in the middle class and affluent. "It is about a person's will power and ability to exercise moderation. Some can and some can't. For the person who can't, even one peg after a long layoff is dangerous as the disease can relapse," explained Mukherjee.
Suksham Singh, founding member of Lifeline Foundation that helps people who have either attempted suicide or are suicidal, said unable to share the pain, several alcoholics and members of their families have committed suicide. "Just reach out and you will realize how many people are there to help," she said.
Warning symptoms of alcoholism
Drinking to relieve tension; increase in alcohol tolerance; decrease in tension tolerance; urge to continue drinking when others stop; uncomfortable at parties where booze isn't served; occasional memory lapses; thinking about the next drink; secret guilt feelings; lying about drinking to everyone
Alcoholic drinking-early stage: loss of control; urgency of first drink; sneaking drinks; increased dependence on alcohol; drinking bolstered with excuses; feeling of guilt about problems; tremors and earl morning drink; aggressive behaviour; loss of other interest; complete dishonesty; neglecting food; drinking alone and secretively
Alcoholic drinking-final stage: Solitary drinking; hallucinations; convulsions; physical breakdown; insanity; death...
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Alcohol-addiction-trickles-down-to-youngsters-still-in-school/articleshow/15175905.cms
A person is labelled an alcoholic if he or she has the urge to consume alcohol daily and downs more than two pegs.
"Not only do a lot of children experiment with alcohol at a very tender age, the social acceptance of drinking in urban areas is expanding the vulnerable group. While not everyone who drinks liquor turns alcoholic, the lower the age of consumption, higher the chance of a person becoming addicted to alcohol," socio psychologist Nandini Chatterjee said on the sidelines of a meet organized by Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), a support group for alcoholics.
While de-addiction from alcohol and dealing with withdrawal symptoms requires serious medication, AA helps addicts cope with the change and stay off the bottle through a structured spiritual programme. Following actor Aamir Khan's endorsement of AA in a television programme that delved into the disease called alcoholism, over 3,00,000 people have called AA for help, another 50,000 have sent SMSs and 100,000 more gave missed calls. The Kolkata chapter of AA received around 10,000 calls, many of them from youngsters.
"There have been calls to our office in Kharagpur and Burdwan as well. Several of the callers are young boys and girls. Many called on the spur of the moment after seeing the programme. But when we called back later, a big chunk tried to evade the issue. The common excuse was someone had dialled the number by mistake," said Rana, a former alcoholic and an active member of AA.
Given the extent of the problem, the organization has decided to set up units in these towns as well as Darjeeling, Siliguri, Cooch Behar, Malda, Murshidabad and Birbhum.
Psychiatrist Rima Mukherjee said she received three types of patients: chronic alcoholics, spouses depressed by alcoholism and children with behaviourial disorders triggered by alcoholism in the family. "Alcoholism is a disease that not only affects the patient but afflicts the entire family," she said, adding that a person generally turns alcoholic when one is hungry, angry, lonely or tired.
She though admitted that many doctors did not treat alcoholic patients in the same way as others. "Since psychiatry isn't a subject in the undergraduate level, most doctors do not handle alcoholic patients with compassion. They don't even refer them to psychiatrists," she said.
Physician Sudarshan Pal, who has worked in Kolkata Port Trust for 30 years, said he had encountered hundreds of alcoholism cases, mostly in group D staff who took to alcohol as a means to escape from drudgery. "They begin consuming alcohol. Soon, it is the drink that consumes them. They fall ill, become habitual absentees. Many die of lever cirrhosis and related ailment before retirement," he said.
Mukherjee and Chatterjee, however, clarified that alcoholism was equally prevalent in the middle class and affluent. "It is about a person's will power and ability to exercise moderation. Some can and some can't. For the person who can't, even one peg after a long layoff is dangerous as the disease can relapse," explained Mukherjee.
Suksham Singh, founding member of Lifeline Foundation that helps people who have either attempted suicide or are suicidal, said unable to share the pain, several alcoholics and members of their families have committed suicide. "Just reach out and you will realize how many people are there to help," she said.
Warning symptoms of alcoholism
Drinking to relieve tension; increase in alcohol tolerance; decrease in tension tolerance; urge to continue drinking when others stop; uncomfortable at parties where booze isn't served; occasional memory lapses; thinking about the next drink; secret guilt feelings; lying about drinking to everyone
Alcoholic drinking-early stage: loss of control; urgency of first drink; sneaking drinks; increased dependence on alcohol; drinking bolstered with excuses; feeling of guilt about problems; tremors and earl morning drink; aggressive behaviour; loss of other interest; complete dishonesty; neglecting food; drinking alone and secretively
Alcoholic drinking-final stage: Solitary drinking; hallucinations; convulsions; physical breakdown; insanity; death...
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Alcohol-addiction-trickles-down-to-youngsters-still-in-school/articleshow/15175905.cms
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