THE WORLD-WIDE THREAT THAN COVID-19

 

Close to 2 billion people across the world consume alcoholic beverages according to the world health organization (WHO). Around the globe, alcohol can be found in many forms from beer, spirits, wines and even traditionally prepared local beverages.

African countries dominate in making local forms of alcohol which is made by fermentation of seeds, grains, vegetables and palm trees. Consumption of alcohol continue to rise in developing countries while decreases in developed countries.

According to the World Health Organization, there is enough evidence to indicate that alcohol is a significant threat to the world health.

The young generation stand a chance of being the most affected lot. Most deaths in young people are attributed to alcohol mainly from injuries and accidents.

Young people are initiating too much drinking in earlier ages than before. The popularity range availability of less expensive alcoholic drinks has increased and the global marketing of alcohol is becoming more and more focused on teenagers.

While many believe that Covid-19 is dangerous and may pose more threat to the world, alcohol is extremely bad and its threat to the world at large. Close to 80 million people suffer from diagnosable alcohol use disorders and 2.25 million people die each year from alcohol use. It affects practically every organ in the human body.

The report by WHO, in general there is casual relationship between alcohol consumption and more than 60 types of diseases and injury. In the world today, alcohol is estimated to cause about 25 – 30 % of oesophageal cancer, liver cancer cirrhosis of the liver, homicide, epileptic seizures and motor vehicle accidents.

“Alcohol is closely linked with virtually every negative aspect of society; suicide, violent crime, birth defects, industrial accidents, domestic and sexual abuse, disease, homelessness and death. It is the number one drug problem for people from all walks of life. It knows no racial, ethnic or economic barriers.” National Council on Alcohol and Drug Dependency, USA.

Most African teenagers and young people drinkers believe that drinking is essential to having good time and pleasure and that their main purpose of drinking is to get drunk. This is something they engage in not knowing the dangers that awaits them.

In Kenya, up to 47% Secondary students reported using alcohol while in Nigeria 60% of secondary school students and 80% of undergraduate students had used alcohol and in Zimbabwe 39% of students under 14 years of age said they had tried alcohol. This should therefore sound like a woke up call to both the parents and government to ensure that young people are always free from these alcoholic beverages because the earlier the age at which people begin drinking, the more likely they are to become alcohol dependent later in life. Unless we help our teenagers, things are not going to get better.

Many homesteads have remained homeless, while others have remained poor because of the indulgent in alcohol. Alcohol exacts a heavy price on personal health, promotes high blood pressure and is directly toxic to heart muscles.

This “world threat” increases the risk of stroke, sudden death, heart arrhythmias and diseased heart muscle, congestive heart failure, cirrhosis and cancer. This reduces user’s useful life and it ravages the lives of family and friends. There is need for immediate action or else, who knows? Perhaps the saddest statistics to emerge in recent years are those of damaged babies permanently, mentally deficient as a result of their parent’s alcohol use.

According to the World Health Organization, worldwide per capita consumption of alcoholic beverages in 2005 equalled 6.13 litres of pure alcohol consumed by every person aged 15 years or older. A large portion of this consumption – 28.6% or 1.76 litres per person – was homemade and illegally produced alcohol or, in other words, unrecorded alcohol. The consumption of homemade or illegally produced alcohol may be associated with an increased risk of harm because of unknown and potentially dangerous impurities or contaminants in these beverages

Alcohol is not just a problem for young people; it is the greatest global drug problem for all ages. In the United States, it is second only tobacco on the top list of “Most Deadly Drugs.” Despite the dangers, people in almost every society come in contact with alcoholic beverages. Sole prevention of this depend on parents, good parental example. Nothing is more powerful than this. Support and encouragement from grandparents, churches, teachers, mentors and positive role models is what the young people need in order to end this menace and be able to beat this world most threat.

 

-         OCHALY EDWINE  -