| “Guyana is a hard place to stop drinking” – Social Activist Social Activists are calling for a national plan by the Government of Guyana to be implemented as they continue the fight against alcoholism.It is only then, they said,Arturo Vidal Chile Jersey, that significant strides can be made to reduce Guyana’s heavy alcohol consumption rates.“Guyana is a hard place to stop drinking,Candido Ramirez Mexico Jersey,” one Social Activist from the Indian Action Committee (IAC) shared. “I am from Berbice, which was for a long time the capital of alcoholism in this country.”Now an adult, the man shared that he had begun consuming alcohol in his early teens. This drinking continued right into his adult life, he said. He explained that from a young age he was socialised to drink from watching his father, uncle and even grandparents engaging in the activity. He added that this behaviour was not fostered only in his home but outside of it. It did not matter that he was a child, he said; he was nonetheless encouraged to participate.“Many times as a boy,Paulo Garces Chile Jersey, I would be riding past a bar and someone would call out to me to come in for a drink. And every time I tried to leave someone would say,Claudio Bravo Chile Jersey, ‘tek one more’. Then, more and more people would come into the shop and you’re trapped,” the man related. “My mother would send me out at 8:00 in the morning to run errands and won’t see me back until 1:00 in the afternoon.”This activist’s tale is not a peculiar one. In fact, it is an all too common one present in Guyana.In a 2014 report, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said that on average, Guyanese consumed more than eight liters of pure alcohol daily in 2010 compared to the global figure of 6.2 liters daily. The report focused on persons aged 15 years or older.And while there have been a number of action plans in Guyana, activists believe that the fact that there was none addressing alcohol was a major issue.Amongst their concerns was the purchasing of alcohol by underage children along with driving under the influence of alcohol. Illegal rum shops were also noted as an issue.“The law has to be clear; people send their children to the shops to buy alcohol and that has to stop. Anybody who does that must face the brunt of the law and anyone who sells alcohol to children must be prosecuted,” another activist stressed. However, she went on, the law is not stringent enough and, more and more, alcohol is ending up in the hands of children.She further emphasised that a strategic plan is needed by the government to identify the problem areas and develop best practices to address them. The plan,Sebastian Holmen Sweden Jersey, activists agreed, should include a national alcohol anonymous program and secure funding within the Public Health Ministry for treatment of addicts.“Just not enough is being done at the national level and each day another person becomes addicted to alcohol,” she added.It was also noted that alcohol was linked to a number of other issues including suicide,Diego Laxalt Uruguay Jersey, domestic violence and crime.Additionally, it was suggested that young children ought to be educated on the dangers of alcohol so that they,Alvaro Pereira Uruguay Jersey, in the future will make more responsible choices. It was also opined that the school system would be the perfect starting point, since in Guyana, “the main problem in anything is the lack of education; ignorance in this place has led to barbarity.”However,Blank Chile Jersey, while noting that the education system had a critical role to play in dealing with alcoholism, an educator and member of the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) said that the education must begin at home.“In terms of drugs and alcohol abuse, we have to go back and focus on social ethics and social values in the home,” he stressed. He continued,Edinson Cavani Uruguay Jersey, “Everything that needs to be done needs to start from the home because the child learns best from socialisation from the very first instance from the home. And if the home in itself is not properly guided and properly rounded, when that child comes to school, whatever sort of coping skills we will give that child and the child goes back to the home, that child will continue to dwell in the situation at the home,” he stressed.The educator further noted that decreased recreational options have led to increased alcohol consumption.“We need to have proper recreational activities so that from the very young child can understand that when you’re coming up you can channel your energies positively to those activities,” the teacher said. |
