PART 1
Alcohol is used and abused the world over. Is there any benefit to this drug? Some say yes, and many say not at all.
Taken in moderation, alcohol can probably do your heart some good, though the so-called safe limit is now being seriously questioned. Undoubtedly, alcohol is a great social cement, and it is consumed widely in most Zambian communities. Taken in excess it causes illness and not infrequently, death.
In Zambia, alcohol comes in numerous forms: opaque beer, illegally brewed super-spirits, wine, cider, beer, liquors, spirits etc. All these beverages contain alcohol at varying quantities.
Initially, someone starting to drink will only consume a little of the alcoholic beverage. As the body gets used and the liver manufactures more enzymes to breakdown the alcohol, the consumed quantities become higher and higher. On average women consume less than men. When too much alcohol is consumed, it damages many parts of the body. Alcohol can damage the brain, the nerves, the liver, the stomach, the pancreas, the blood vessels, the reproductive organs, the heart, the skin etc.
Most people can control their consumption of alcohol, and their bodies have no problems if they do not take. But there are many who cannot and become dependent on the drug.
WHAT MAKES SOMEONE BECOME AN ALCOHOLIC
Some people who take alcohol become psychologically and physically dependent. If they do not take alcohol, they become sick. As result, such people start drinking every day.
What causes this dependency?
In some it is genetic. Scientist have found a gene that makes some families more prone to alcoholism than others. Others are just psychologically weak. In others, it’s because of easy availability of the alcohol. This occurs in people who work at breweries or those who sale in bars and pubs that sell alcohol. Those who have too much disposable income can also to drink at will and some may fall by the wayside!
PREVENTING THE ILL-EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL
- Alcohol is not like an essential vitamin. If you do not drink, don’t start. Just count how much money you shall save over a lifetime of no-drinking!
- Safe limits. There is no safe limit as such. However, medical authorities recommend a weekly maximum amount of alcohol that will probably not harm the body. For men and women 14 units of alcohol a week, or less, is recommended. A 375/330ml bottle/can of Mosi or Castle lager is equivalent to about 2 units of alcohol. So, ladies and gentlemen, 7 pints a week is all you should take. A bottle of wine is equivalent to about 10 units of alcohol and a standard glass of wine is equivalent to about 2 units. A glass/bottle of cider is equivalent to about 2 units. A 25ml shot of whisky or brandy is equivalent to about 1 unit of alcohol. But be warned, there are now serious questions about these so-called safe levels.
- Some people can’t tolerate alcohol at all. If you are one of those do not force the issue. For some of these people it is because their livers do not manufacture the enzyme — alcohol dehydrogenase — that breaks down alcohol.
- Psychological issues. Because of bad behaviours they may have seen in parents or other relatives or friends some people decide not to take alcohol.
- For all those who drink, try and spread the allowable units over some days instead of drinking them all at once. Reserve at least one day in a week or more when you do not take any alcohol at all. This allows the body, especially the liver, to mend and regenerate. THIS IS IMPORTANT FOR ALL ALCOHOL IMBIBERS.
SYMPTOMS OF ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE
The following are the symptoms and signs that alcohol is becoming a problem:
- Drinking every day
- Drinking at all hours
- Taking long to get drunk/high. Someone who would get drunk with 3 Mosi bottles and starts singing now needs 12 Mosi to reach the same level!
- Hiding the number of days a person drinks. When asked he may say, I only drink at weekends when he drinks every day!
- Hiding the number of alcoholic drinks a person takes. When asked, he or she may say, I only drink 4 Mosi, when in fact he drinks a crate or a bottle of brandy on his own!
- Failing to do his job because of alcohol
- Having differences with spouse/other family members because of alcohol
- Ending up in debt because of alcohol
- Developing medical problems caused by alcohol (see below)
- Fighting, insulting, or getting injured due to taking too much alcohol
- Ending up in road traffic accidents when driving
- Starting behaviours like sleeping with prostitutes the alcoholic finds in bars and generally loose sexual behaviours
- Having withdrawal symptoms if the person does not drink like, tremors, nausea, sweating too much, convulsions etc
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS THAT ALCOHOL IS CAUSING COMPLICATIONS
The following are the clinical signs and symptoms that alcohol is damaging the body.
- Nerve damage. This causes pain, numbness, pins and needles, feeling hot, feeling cold especially in the legs and feet. Finally, muscle bulk will reduce and the person may fail to walk
- The skin becomes dry. Some have skin rashes; some have a brownish rash around the neck like a necklace. This is due to malnutrition because most alcoholics do not have a healthy diet.
- The brain. When the brain is damaged the following occurs:
- Convulsions, if the person does not drink
- Tremors
- Amnesia
- Confusion
- Hearing voices and having visual hallucinations
- Liver damage. These are the symptoms and signs of liver damage
- Sweeling of the limbs and the abdomen
- Vomiting blood
- Passing black stool
- The heart
- Heart palpitations
- Heart failure
- The chances of pulmonary TB are higher in alcoholics
- Stomach
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Loss of appetite
- Stomach pains
- Hair thinning and becoming silky
- Sweating a lot
- Loss of weight
- Loss of libido and loss of potency
IN WOMEN
Women have some special problems peculiar to them. For example:
- Rape, if the woman is too drunk
- Inability to protect themselves from STIs if the woman is too drunk
- Getting unplanned pregnancies
- Having problems with monthly periods
- Having severe period pains
- Having irregular periods
- Infertility
- Early menopause
In all genders, the rate of suicides and depression are higher in alcoholics than in non-alcoholics and teetotallers
TREATMENT
- If you drink and you are having any of the symptoms and signs mentioned above, stop
- If you fail to stop, go to the hospital, where doctors will prescribe something to help you stop.
- After stopping alcohol, a nutritious diet is necessary. This is due to malnutrition that usually accompanies alcoholism
PART II
In Zambia, there is little debate that we consume too much alcohol. And partly, as a consequence, we fornicate too much. Unfortunately, some of those who don’t drink specialise in fornication. No winning. For a nation mired in poverty and unemployment, the drinking culture is truly shocking — as can be visually exemplified by a Friday or Saturday evening drive through Buchi, Kabwata, or Matero. The politicians and the well-to-do also revel in parte after parte in their chic bars and restaurants, spending obscene amounts of money on the devil’s concoction.
Here is an exercise:
- Calculate the money spent on alcohol consumption from 1964 to date.
- Then quantify and add the lives lost through alcohol related diseases and accidents from 1964 to date.
- Now quantify and add on the man-hours lost due to hangovers and alcohol related ill-health from 1964 to date.
- Then quantify and add on the money spent on treating alcohol related illnesses and accidents from 1964 to date.
- Then quantify and add on the disruption to family life caused by alcohol from 1964 to date.
Quantify all these ill-effects and you begin to get an idea on the quantum of the alcohol problem in Zambia and its contribution to our economic woes.
Meanwhile, the local councils are unable to curb the vice with existing laws and local regulations and the central government is waiting for WHO, or ILO, or IMF or WB to tell us how to tackle the scourge! Shame.
The financial and human cost of alcohol in Zambia is humongous. The national debt of over seven billion USD would be a manageable if Zambians did not drink so recklessly. Alcohol production does provide jobs, taxes, and has upward and downward production linkages and so on. But, do the math, because on balance, the savings from a more sober nation would have paid off the national debt several times over.
In 1973, our first president, KK, threatened to resign if Zambians did not curb their love of alcohol. If KK had resigned then, maybe Zambians would have changed course, and we could be in a better position now! This is called the butterfly effect.
Despite being a teetotaller, KK has alcohol on his hands. During Independence Day celebrations in the early years of the Republic, we would sneak out of Munali Secondary School and make a beeline for and “gate crash” State House. Gate crashing State House was not that difficult in the euphoria of Independence Days still being counted in single digits. The practice was that after the official function, Zambian Breweries trucks would open their side flaps, and Mosi lager would flow like the mighty Zambezi! That was our main attraction and a sight to behold, especially after some hastily taken lagers! Do not judge, we were young, handsome (some of us), healthy, fit, adventurous. and at times reckless but not too bad at schoolwork.
Alcoholism is self-inflicted, and can lead to serious consequences, to the drinker and to his/her circle of friends and family.
FOREWARNED IS FOREARMED
