Why won’t Indian parents support drinking, even though it’s common in other countries? - Awadhesh Singh answer

Awdhesh Singh, lives in IndiaWritten 22h ago

Drinking of alcohol is a bad habit. Even the Western countries where alcoholism is quite common are fighting very hard to reduce the alcoholism within the society. All scientific studies have conclusively proven that alcoholism is bad for the individual and the society. Let me present you some studies in this regard.

• According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), every year about 2.5 million deaths all over the world are alcohol-related. Heart disease, cancer, accidents and suicides contribute to these deaths. Alcoholism is a progressive illness and damages the Central Nervous System (CNS), resulting in varying degrees of dysfunction — deficit cognitive functioning, dementia, etc. People addicted to prolonged binge drinking are prone to strokes — a condition of haemorrhage or deficient blood supply to the brain. Alcohol abuse is also responsible for a variety of psychiatric symptoms, viz. anxiety, depression, confusion, panic disorders, bipolar disorders and narcissism.

• In a study funded by the European Commission, the social cost of alcohol across Europe was 125 billion Euros from healthcare, crime and work issues in 2006. The authors suggested that the damage to society by alcohol could be limited by increasing alcohol taxation, tightening advertising rules and making labeling on the dangers of alcohol misuse more clear. ‘’If alcohol taxes were used to raise the price of alcohol in the EU by 10 per cent, over 9,000 deaths would be prevented in the following year,” they claimed. Alcohol is the third biggest public health problem in Europe after tobacco and high blood pressure.

• According to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD), an estimated 32 per cent of fatal car crashes involve an intoxicated driver or pedestrian. Alcohol affects attentiveness and one’s ability to make quick decisions on the road, react to changes in the environment and execute specific, often difficult manoeuvers behind the wheel. With alcohol, driving becomes dangerous and potentially lethal. No wonder drunken driving is a punishable offence in most parts of the world.

• The impact of intoxication on crime is also well established. The most distinguishing aspect of crime under the influence of alcohol is that it is directed against people whom the drinkers love and know. According to NCADD—‘Alcohol is an important factor in crime. Most of the crimes against known people are done under the influence of alcohol. Alcohol is more likely to be a factor in violence, where the attacker and the victim know each other. Two-thirds of victims who were attacked by an intimate (including a current or former spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend) reported that alcohol had been involved, and only 31 per cent of victimizations by strangers are alcohol-related.’

• Alcohol consumption loosens inhibitions and often contributes to the commission of different types of crimes. According to the estimates of the US Justice Department, 5.3 million adults (36 per cent of those under correctional supervision at the time) were drinking at the time of their conviction offence; and 40 per cent of state prisoners convicted of violent crimes were under the influence of alcohol at the time of offence.The more violent the crime, the greater is the chance that alcohol is involved. The US agencies spend more than $100-billion-a-day to put the individuals in prison with serious addiction problems.

Indian parents may not be aware of all these studies of the Western world.
However, they know from their experience that alcoholism is bad for the people and society.
Therefore, they don’t support drinking for their children so that they can lead a better life.
Sources:

1. http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/...

1. https://ncadd.org/learn-about-al...

1. https://ncadd.org/learn-about-al...

1. http://www.alcoholandcrime.org/i...

1. http://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_de...