Sobering statistics

A recent study on alcohol consumption across countries makes a sobering revelation. Even as the volume of liquor intake has globally risen by 70 per cent since 1990, India registers one of the most notable increases in the amount drunk per adult per year — 38 per cent — between 2010 and 2017. While this is partly attributable to the rising incomes and social acceptability of enjoying a peg, the fact that the Lancet study forecasts a further rise in the drinking pattern must spur the government to uncork policies that put a stop to the trend. A ban on marketing and advertising of alcohol would go a long way in preventing the youth from taking to the bottle in an irresponsible manner. While abstinence or permissiveness may not be desirable, it is important to highlight the severe repercussions of harmful liquor use. It is a significant risk factor for over 200 diseases, and the burden of disease far outweighs the momentary merriment derived from its overuse or the revenue earned from the industry.

Some measures that have been proved effective globally include higher taxes on liquor and restrictions on availability. Despite awareness drives and setting up of alcohol de-addiction and rehabilitation centres, tackling the problem of liquor abuse has not been easy in our region. Drunk driving, which resulted in nearly 3 million deaths worldwide in 2016 and caused many more to suffer disabilities, continues to be a social as well as administrative thorn. Regulations are in place in India, but there is many a hiccup in their strict enforcement as they are observed more in the breach.

The WHO has set the target of reducing the harmful use of liquor by 10 per cent by 2025. Going by the Lancet report, the landscape of alcohol exposure has shifted. The developing countries, including India, have high rates of liquor intake growth while the developed world has reached a plateau in drinking. Our public health advocates will thus need to urgently give a shot at cost-effective policies that keep the people within the safe limits of drinking alcohol.