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.
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OCHALY
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