When Muthu* had his first daughter, he was drinking at least four to five times every day.
His reality check came when a fellow worker died of alcohol overdose. That is when Muthu decided to get help. Now, he has been sober for 20 years and has a successful law practice, for which he received an award from the Rajaji Centre for De-addiction at the Voluntary Health Services on Sunday.
He was among several who received treatment at the centre and have remained sober for a considerable period of time. “Even after years of not drinking, it is possible to crave alcohol. This is why the centre for de-addiction honours those who have stayed sober even for more than a year,” said Brinda Jayaraman, one of the centre’s donors, on Sunday at its 22 anniversary celebrations.
Singer Vani Jairam presented the awards. Speaking at the ceremony, head of department at VHS, Lakshmi Vijayakumar, said, Tamil Nadu was among the States with the highest numbers of alcoholics in the country. Every year, there was a 10 per cent increase in the sale of alcohol in the State. Today, alcohol sale accounted for over 10 per cent of the GDP, she said. There are around 7,000 liquor outlets in Tamil Nadu, and 27 per cent of the State’s income comes from the sale of alcohol.
The people most affected by alcoholism, however, are the poor. In the State, 40 per cent of men drink. A bulk of their income is spent on alcohol. This means their family expenditure is reduced, which in turn affects the nutritional and educational well-being of children. One person’s drinking affected seven people, on an average, said Dr. Vijayakumar.
* Name changed to protect privacy.
