In Guyana, alcohol consumption is a serious dilemma

Nov 12, 2016 Letters

Dear Editor,
In Guyanese society, excessive alcohol consumption is a major social problem. It affects all aspects of an individual’s life, including the body, family and relationships. In the following article, we address some of the harmful effects of alcohol on the human body.
Alcohol has many effects on people, including hangovers, family problems, and high risks of some diseases. Consuming alcohol has both negative short and long-term effects. Some of the short-term effects include hangovers, which are caused by, on occasion, over-indulgence instead of a casual social drink. Whether intentionally or not, sometimes people imbibe too much alcohol and then get what is most commonly known as a hangover, or flu-like symptoms that are experienced the day after a heavy bout of drinking. The physical symptoms of a hangover may be temporary, but the consequences may be severely detrimental and an episode can significantly disrupt a person’s life in a multiplicity of ways; for instance, the impairment of faculties due to feeling unwell; an inability to meet professional deadlines and honour commitments.
Irrational and unhealthy behaviours, such as displays of excessive emotion, poor eating patterns and lethargic feelings leading to a de-motivation to exercise and/or undertake work programmes or family responsibilities, such as helping with chores, are also side effects of hangovers. Having experienced the effects of overindulgence of alcoholic beverages and the consequences of hangover, I can speak with conviction when I advise against the abuse of alcoholic substances, because such episodes have severely impacted my life in negative ways. There is no positive outcome from excessive drinking, either physically, emotionally or socially.
Ways that alcohol affects the mental faculties and the physical body include detectable memory lapses and impairments in social conduct. Oftentimes, after only a few drinks, one tends to lose the ability to determine and control their levels of consumption and, as the amount of alcohol intake increases, so does the degree of impairment to ones’ mental and physical responses.
Large quantities of alcohol, especially when consumed quickly and on an empty stomach, can produce a blackout, or an interval of time for which the intoxicated person cannot recall key details of events; or even entire sequences of events. Drinkers who experience blackouts typically drink too much and too quickly, which causes their blood alcohol levels to rise very rapidly. Many people are unaware of the fact; or either do not care, that alcohol acts as a depressant to one’s central nervous system as well, which means that when you consume it your brain cells communicate at a slower rate than normal. The limbic system of your brain, which controls emotions, such as anxiety and fear, is also affected.
Alcohol causes one to neglect important duties of daily life. It impairs one’s functions and physical capabilities, as well as comprehensive responses to stimuli and, at some point, will likely result in neglect of responsibilities associated with work, home life, and/or school; not to mention taking time off school, work and/or family responsibilities to nurse hangovers and to get better.
Excessive drinking can increase a person’s likelihood of getting into fights, displaying disorderly conduct in public, driving under the influence, and becoming involved in domestic disputes or incidences of violence – episodes and actions most often forgotten after a return to sobriety. This can result in getting into trouble with the law and ensue in a lot of consequential problems – financially through probably having to pay for lawyers and fees for damage to property if there had been physical encounters or verbal altercations. There can be disruptions in family life if there has been a display of aggressive behaviour toward family members. And even criminal charges, if drunk, one drives and gets involved in an accident.
All in all, overindulgence in alcohol consumption is not worth it. From the foregoing it can therefore be deduced that it makes better sense for someone not to indulge in a legal drug that damages the body and impairs the mind so horribly and inexorably as alcohol does.The human body is healthier and mental faculties more acute without the toxicity that alcohol abuse imposes upon the frail human system, because it has been proven that overindulgence of alcohol is extremely detrimental to the overall wellbeing of human beings.
I have come to the conclusion that alcohol is a deterrent to the wellbeing of anyone; and the determination to avoid it altogether. Because of this choice I look forward to a long and healthy lifestyle, and I have no regrets about this choice that I have made to live a much happier and healthier life.
Latchman Narine

1 thoughts on “In Guyana, alcohol consumption is a serious dilemma”

Devil's advocate November 13, 2016 at 10:29 am

Medical intervention is a necessary tool in any attempt to arrest overindulgence in alcohol. More often than not, abusers are apprehensive in accepting the condition of abuse; and that requires professional psychological help.