March 23, 2008
Problems of alcohol abuse
Dear Sir,Most of us at the coal face of health services provision daily witness the horrendous societal and health problems associated with alcohol.
Many people drink alcohol for the effect of the drug. It's used as a relaxant or a means of self-medicating for issues - mostly psychological - best dealt with by proper medical attention. Many people cannot - or are unwilling - to control the intake of this drug.
For them, requests for ''responsible and sensible'' intake raise serious questions about the approach to dealing with negative side-effects of this product. Telling problem drinkers to be ''responsible'' is the equivalent of telling a dog not to bark.
Curbs on advertising and availability can be implemented with the stroke of a pen, subject to political willpower. Logically, these measures will reduce consumption.
However, I'm not sure that this reduction will be in the area of the problem drinker. For such drinkers, the damage needs to be measured in terms of effect, rather than quantity, as even one drink can cause loss of control over their intake and resultant behaviour.
Acknowledging the reality means accepting that people who repeatedly offend or are harmed while under the influence of alcohol are problem drinkers, alcohol-dependent or addicts, whichever you prefer.
Clarity of definition, structured educational intervention, consistent affirmation of non-drinkers and widespread, free availability of contra-indications of the drug will need to be addressed before we can say we are serious about tackling this chronic problem.
Gerry Hickey,
