Dr Sudip Chakraborty, MD(Medicine)
If you see just one week collection of any local newspaper, one thing you will find common and that is alcohol and other drugs related incidents, either directly or indirectly. The latest haul of ganja, mushrooming of bars near places where it shouldn’t be and my personal experience as a clinician, seeing alcohol related health issues that stares at your face daily, leaves me numb .I know fully well that treating alcohol related complications are like brushing garbage under the carpet. He will come again in a week or so.
It’s so easy to read it on paper, have a debate on the issue, criticize the concerned authorities and move on as if you have done your part. Yes it’s high time now as a community, we must arise and be more pro active, so that our coming generation are not consumed and destroyed by this menace and we are not left with the guilt that if only we would have been more pro active and mobilized the society, things would have been better.
How bad is the scenario? 09 out of a scale of 10. And I can say that because Iam dealing with young alcoholics day in & day out, not even 20 years of age with liver damage beyond repair even at the best of centres. Add to it, the indirect effects of it like marital disharmony, accidents, loss of job, rising incidents of concomitant recreational drug use like ganja, codeine based cough syrups etc, believe me it’s very bad. Recently lost 3 young earning member of a family to alcoholic liver cirrhosis not before they have lost every penny to alcohol and its treatment related expenses. I think every person in these Islands knows either a relative or known to, who has an alcohol related problem.
Do we really need alcohol to add to our misery when already our hands are full with malaria, dengue , Andaman fever, rising diabetes, heart attacks and oral cancer?
Let’s be realistic. I don’t expect anytime in near future our society to be alcohol free. It has been there since civilization. The point is to help those people who cross the thin line between social drinker and getting addicted. If you need a eye opener drink early in the morning, has guilt feeling due to alcohol use, your social and occupational duties getting affected due to alcohol, than definitely you have crossed that line. You also need to stop if you have alcohol related health issues like alcoholic liver disease, pancreatitis, gastropathy and diabetes mellitus.
How do you eat an elephant? Definitely not at one gulp but in pieces. Similarly alcohol addiction has taken an elephantine proportion and we can only solve it in pieces.
This article is actually intended to be a conduit for all the islanders who are fed up with alcohol issues and would like to make a change. I dream to start a independent, collective NOT FOR PROFIT deaddiction centre where any addiction can be treated scientifically, hollisticaly and by using proven alternative methods if needed. Rehabilitation of those troubled souls will be included in that as well. I can arrange for psychiatrist, trained deaddiction councilors who ensures continuous follow up, if needed home visit, nurses and other medical infrastructures. What I need is lots of constructive ideas of like minded people, funds to start and maintain, road map to proceed etc. I know it’s a herculean task but if only we unite and take the most difficult first step, everything else will fall in place.
So if you are interested so please join on the Facebook page of this news paper or can call in mobile number 9932084868. Soon we will convene a meeting. It’s time to give something back to the islands.
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