The threat of alcohol to the survival of modern society is in the news again as the World Health Organization (WHO) released its 2014 global status of alcohol and health report.
In the report, WHO raised fresh alert of the harmful use of alcohol, which it linked to the rising cases of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and sudden deaths.
It states that 3.3million people died worldwide from harmful use of alcohol in 2012 and that alcohol consumption not only leads to dependence but increases people’s risk of developing more than 200 diseases, including liver cirrhosis and cancer.Harmful drinks can lead to violence and injuries or make people susceptible to diseases such as tuberculosis and pneumonia.
The report provides profile of 194-member states including Nigeria, stresses the need for countries to take urgent actions against the situation by developing policies to reduce harmful use of alcohol.The world body wants countries to provide health services on prevention and treatment of diseases, and in particular increasing prevention, treatment and care for patients and their families, and supporting initiatives for screening and brief interventions.
The negative impact of alcohol shows a higher percentage of deaths among men than among women from alcohol related causes, though there is evidence that women may be more vulnerable to alcohol-related conditions, compared to men. There is, however, a huge concern that there is a steady increase in alcohol intake among women.
WHO’s Assistant Director General for Non-communicable Diseases and Mental Health, Dr. Oleg Chestnov, has warned that more needs to be done to protect populations from the negative health consequences of alcohol consumption.
WHO’s position is that some countries are already strengthening measures toprotect people, and these include increasing taxes, limiting the availability of alcohol by raising the age limits, and regulating the marketing of alcoholic beverages.
The searchlight on the danger of alcohol should be supported by all and sundry. Perhaps the figures released by WHO are even below the true position. In a country like Nigeria, there are no proper records of disease and death relating to such disease. That is because many people cannot afford medical services due to their financial position; many patronize religious houses in the hope that they would receive healing, while many may attribute such disease or illness to witchcraft or enemies.
In most cases, alcohol use is not really regulated. Anyone can drink anywhere, and there is no government policy,jingles in radio and television or advert in newspapers that dissuade people from abusing the bottles, especially by highlighting the implications of alcohol on health.
Unlike in most parts of the world, where people just abuse alcohol to ‘calm their nerves’ or ‘try to be high’, the situation is worse in Nigeria because many take the bottle to boost their libido. This has created a large market for energy drink often mixed with some alcohol for ‘double result’.
The Nigerian market is also booming with variant of aphrodisiacs, such as the mixture of local gin (popularly called Ogogoro) and herbs, which come in form of Agbo Gbogbonise, Sepe or Paraga. Medical experts say these are dangerous to health.While it is claimed that these herbal mixtures can enhance sexual performance, they may turn out to be a pyrrhic victory with deadly consequences.Whether it is beer or rum or local herbal mixture, alcohol abuse is a monster that must be confronted from all fronts.
We urge Nigeria to develop a health policy that will discourage people from making alcohol and alcoholic beverages their inseparable friends, especially in view of the WHO report. The best way to achieve this is through effective publicity.
