Today one of the headlines in an Indian news paper Times of India that caught my attention is ‘Drunk man slips and fall into well, dies’.
Death due to binge drinking is not an isolated event even in a country where alcohol sales and consumption is highly regulated by the government. Accidents and death due to alcohol consumption is an everyday occurrence and though shocking gets scant attention.
People generally shrug off such events. So what has gone wrong in a society where drinking is taboo?
Various government organizations enforcing prohibition are riddled with inefficient and corrupt officials who simply look the other way to get their own pound of the flesh. However the major problem lies in the attitudinal, cultural and behavioral areas of alcohol consumption.
Instead of prohibition, the governments need to educate and mobilize public opinion on moderate social drinking. Free availability with a proper attitude towards drinking can curb the problem to a great extent.
Schools and collages should have special sessions to educate the young people who are more impressionistic on the ill effects of drinking. Above all glorifying drinking in advertisements and the entertainment mediums must be stopped. Parental vigilance on children staying out over night or in hostels and proper counseling in time can help curb alcoholic abuse and binge drinking.
Though it is a long drawn out process, such social initiatives alone can help curb the alcoholic menace. Regulatory measures may prove to be counterproductive.
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