There are no two opinions that the state indirectly pays a heavy cost due to illnesses, loss of productivity, death and crimes caused by liquor consumption. This is far more than the so-called revenue from taxing liquor.
The injurious effects of alcoholism from the medical point of view were clearly brought out by Dr.Araveeti Ramayogaiah (Open Page, February 6.) Let me supplement this article with a few real life cases, about which I have personal knowledge.
Story 1 involves a horrible rail collision claiming 28 lives and seriously injuring 35 people, apart from minor injuries to several others. It was a collision between a stationary train waiting to leave a station and a goods train, which came speeding onto it. The reason for the tragedy was immediately apparent. The driver of the freight train had ignored the danger signal and drove at full speed under the influence of liquor. He was injured and in hospital it was ascertained that he had enough alcohol in his blood to make him almost unconscious.
I happened to be one of the officers involved in the relief operations, and untangling the coaches and retrieving the mangled bodies is a horror I will never forget.
Excessive fondness
Story 2 concerns a senior Central government executive, a very intelligent, hard working officer with a bright, vivacious wife and three brilliant children. Life should have been a bed of roses for them, but it wasn't. He was given to an excessive fondness for the bottle which caused utter misery all round. His family and his large circle of friends did try their utmost to steer him out of this situation which was even threatening his career. After extensive counselling by professionals and medical treatment, he appeared to have got over the problem only to relapse suddenly into his old ways. Almost everyone despaired that he would ever mend. But then he was transferred to a State which had prohibition. Ever since, it had been a complete transformation for him and when the time came for retirement he took the wise decision to settle down there itself, even though he was from a State which was far away from his present place of posting. Unfortunately, that State also succumbed to the liquor lobby and scrapped prohibition. Our friend was back to square one.
I am sure almost everyone has come across instances of lives ruined by drinking, though perhaps not one as tragic as the one related above. I have been to many “wet” parties and seen perfectly sensible normal people becoming clowns after a few drinks, sometimes with bizarre results. Nearly every week there is a report of a traffic accident involving “d.u.i.” (driving under the influence) as it is called in the U.S. Yet no government has had the political courage to put an end to this scourge. There are no two opinions that the state indirectly pays a heavy cost due to illnesses, loss of productivity, death and crimes caused by liquor consumption, which is far more than the so-called revenue from taxing liquor. If the States are willing to prevent people from devastating their lives by consumption of drugs, why is alcohol consumption not treated with the same seriousness? The loss of revenue to the state is only illusory, because the money thus saved by the people will have to find its way either as savings, or expenditure on other essential and useful items, from which governments earn by way of taxes.
The excuse
The excuse is often trotted out that bootlegging and corruption will only increase, and making something illegal will not bring down alcohol addiction. Even so, the very fact that alcohol is not something that you can buy like a cup of coffee will bring down the consumption. After all, had a liquor shop not been there in close proximity of the station where that goods train stopped earlier, the lives of 28 people would have been saved. The greatest benefit is that the younger generation will at least grow up without the taste of liquor. For the full benefits to manifest themselves, countrywide prohibition must be imposed at least for 25 years.
Maybe, I sound like a nut, but I have great company, Mahatma Gandhi, Rajagopalachari, just to name two.
(The writer's email is raghavnk@rediffmail.com)
Keywords: Alcoholism, liquor consumption
I am a victim of this addiction. My husband is an alcoholic. It is horrible to lead a life with a mentally instable, addicted partner. I am being ridiculed upon by the family and society constantly. I dont mingle with my neighbours for fear of being dragged into petty quarrels that my husband would have with them. This life is disgusting. Financially, I suffer a lot, almost vanished now. All the government policy makers, please read all these views and do something useful for the society.
I don't understand why we need just 25 years of prohibition? Alcohol in our country can be bought even by kids. My blind guess is that there might be some rule which marks minimum age. But, where the hell is it implemented? In which state? Students start boozing at the age of 16 and go high when they are attending colleges. Government should prioritize the prohibition of alcohol to the under aged. We need to act with an iron hand on the vendors(revoke the license) and also reprimand the kids involved.
We state India as developing nation.It can't develop until its people start thinking otherwise. Alcohol prohibition would not serve the sole criteria for liquor free country.Its we , people need to imbibe pros and cons of it. Gujrat is a dry state but one can find liquor quite easily despite of prohibition. No government and police can eradicate this evil intill people themselves renounce it. And also we should stop being stereotypes.
Quite recently, one young 'modern' tamil couple showcased in prime time television that they were planning to set up a bar in their newly built home. It was disgusting to hear, for me atleast, when the wife shamelessly declared that frequenting a pub in a five star hotel was their favourite pastime. She went on to brag that her husband liked her cocktail experiments. I wish they would read this article and make a wise choice.
I am working in Andhra Pradesh as prohibition and excise sub-inspector. There is hardly any crime reported in news papers without the culprits being under the influence of alcohol. It is most disgusting to read reports like a father raping his daughter under the influence of alcohol and a son raping his mother for the same reason. Is this what the welfare government wants to achieve from revenues generated from alcohol? We are being forced to sell more liquor by the government in order to increase the revenue. This revenue is for what? Will this revenue brings back a woman's modesty? Will this revenue brings back a son who was killed by truck driver was drunk? The government should stop seeing the liquor as source of revenue. Since I am in the department i partake responsibility in all sins being taking place due to alcohol along with the government.
It is high time that both the governments at the central and the state take effective measures to curb this menace.
In India liquor and cigarettes kill more people than AIDS and malaria together.
the author has made it clear. The cost society has to pay for this is huge. It was disgusting for me to work in emergency dept of hospital where 70% of cases were due to alcohol consumption.
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