With the revelry of festivities around, it is common knowledge that alcohol willflow profusely in many quarters without our realising the deep repercussions it has on our lives. Alcoholism has assumed such gigantic proportions that it has turned into a global problem. Governments throughout the world are trying with limited success to curb this scourge. It wrecks families, ruins health and devastates whole societies. It is a silent killer as it stalks the lives of millions, leaving heartbreak and incalculable sufferings in its wake. It is the root of many social evils. It spells gloom and doom to a family. Domestic violence is rampant. Mothers and children are terrorised. Basic needs of the family are foregone. Alcoholism contributes to a high rate of absenteeism at work and many wage earners have been mercilessly sacked due to heavy drinking at work.

Drunk drivers cause so much carnage on our roads annually. They have become a danger to themselves, their passengers and others. The police authorities should show no mercy to such drivers.

Alcohol addiction is primarily based on psychological factors. Drinking alcohol allegedly brings pleasure and euphoria and reduces the biological drives of the individual. A first sociable glass can drive a person to blind addiction and he becomes a slave to alcohol day and night. He is dragged relentlessly into the abyss of alcoholism. Many a time have we seen some alcoholics take wine or beer or even rum for breakfast. They have become human wrecks: they do not lead a normal life. Alcoholism is believed by some to be a psychological ailment. Addicts take refuge in alcohol to find relief from their pain and suffering. They drown their sorrows in a glass of alcohol.An excess of alcohol can lead to liver dysfunction and can be fatal due to cirrhosis of the liver. People take the easy way out, when they cannot cope with reality.

The influence of peer-group and environmental factors plays a key role on the drinking behaviour of children. When parents drink, it is most natural that the siblings will emulate. Parties are occasions for an abuse of alcohol. Many people have no sense of direction in life and therefore they find solace in alcohol.

Surprisingly, not only men but also women are found to be alcohol addicts. Marital maladjustment is the main cause of alcoholism in women. They turn to alcohol to overcome their loneliness and disillusionment. It is to be noted that most heavy drinking for men and women alike occurs during middle-age when they realise that they have made a mess of their lives, when they face the harsh reality of the fact that they have frittered away golden opportunities in their existence. They resort to alcohol to anaesthetise their feelings. Elderly people, feeling a burden to their children, unwanted and lonely in society turn to heavy drinking for solace. Unfortunately it drives them more quickly to senility.

Alcoholism is said to be a product of our modern way of life. People, when drunk, become like beasts and lose all their self-respect. Some even develop delirium and they need to follow psychiatric treatment for detoxification in a sanatorium. An alcoholic must not be treated as a lowly scoundrel or a despicable bum but as a fellow human being who needs help desperately. Curing alcoholism necessitates moral guidance and therapy and the patient must be armed with personal will, tenacity and vigilant determination to get back on the road of sobriety and normal life.

Philip LI CHING HUM