A study conducted by the Alcohol and Drug Information Centre-India (ADIC-India) shows that 20 per cent of the alcohol users in the State were below 21 years and their number was approximately 5 per cent of the total number of users.
The study, released as an ‘Alcohol Atlas’ here on Tuesday, showed that the per-capita consumption of different alcoholic beverages in Kerala before the closure of the bars was 11.1 litres, against the national average of 4.3 litres. The closure of bars had resulted in a huge drop in alcohol sales in Kerala, which again is the reflection of the reduction in alcohol consumption among the Kerala population.
The website of the Kerala State Beverages (Manufacturing and Marketing) Corporation, the study points out, itself has figures that show that there has been a huge reduction in liquor consumption in the State, for the first time in 31 years. Sale of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) dropped by 8.65 per cent and beer sales by 9.89 per cent. The total drop in liquor sale in Kerala during 2014-15 is 2,69,50,709 litres and the cumulative drop is around 9 per cent. This has been realised in spite of the sanctioning of new beer/wine parlours in the State with effect from January 1. There has been, simultaneously, a sharp jump in beer and wine sale, indicating that easy availability was pushing up their sale, the report says.
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On the public health and social cost of heavy alcohol consumption, the report points out that 20 per cent hospitalisations, 59 per cent of crimes, 40% road accidents, and 80% divorces in the State were linked with alcohol use.