Essay_on_Alcoholism_in_Nairobi

INTRODUCTION Definition According to Oxford Dictionary, alcohol is a colorless volatile flammable liquid which is the intoxicating constituent of wine, beer, spirits and other drinks and is also used as an industrial solvent and as fuel. Consumption according to the Advanced Learners Dictionary it is defined as the act of buying and using products. Bringing this two together alcohol consumption according to my understanding is the buying of alcohol and using it to gain utils of satisfaction. Background Alcohol contains several organic chemical compounds. The one type of chemical compound that is suitable for human consumption is referred to as ethyl alcohol or ethanol. It is produced by fermentation. History of alcohol according to http://www.drug-rehabs .org/ alcohol history.php says distilled spirits have origins in China and India about 800 BC. Beer drinking dates back to Babylonians in the 8th and 9th century BC. According to Wikipedia, Nairobi is the largest city of Kenya and is the most populated city East and Central Africa with a population of about 3million; according to 2009 census. GENDER AND DIFFERENCES IN ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION According to an online research, I found out that the earlier one starts engaging in alcohol mostly in underage drinking will act as a pointer on how one’s later life will be on alcohol abuse and dependency. Women especially those who are divorced and separated will tend to abuse alcohol more. Most women are between age 26 and 34 while binge drinking among women happens between the age 18 and 25. Male drinkers take five or more per sitting while female drinkers take four or more per sitting. CAUSES OF EXCESSIVE ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION According to http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8178704 has brought motives of consumption and given two reasons:- 1. To cope with stress-: “you can never find the answer in a bottle” Pastor Kanga said during an interview. 2 out of 3 of the alcoholics I interviewed claimed that most of the time they took alcohol was due to stress. However the drinking due to stress relieves the pain during the intoxication and later more stress which can easily lead to depression. Stress can be due to a spouse, work, parents, studies, finances or loss of a loved one. 2. Social influence-: from the interviews I found out that Nairobi City dwellers meet during the weekend for a so called “two for the road”. This has become normal and a routine to most people and it can easily lead to alcoholism There is a tremendous growth of bars and clubs in Nairobi and due to peer influence and a need to be accepted in a social class one can easily find themselves engaging in alcoholism. EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION The effects of alcoholism can be classified into two categories, however effects are not just limited to the below- a. Economic effects b. Social effects Economic Effects Excessive consumption of alcohol in Nairobi has brought about great economic costs to the family and society which include:- Poor finances Excessive alcohol consumption means that there is a lot of money being used by an alcoholic dependant. A person from a high class lifestyle can spend up to kshs. 10,000/= in a day considering the kind of places they go to drink, from an interview a waiter at Tribe Bar and Restaurant said, “we sell a single beer at 600/= and liquor bottles for as high as Ksh.8,000/=.” He confirmed to me that clients would use up to Ksh.10, 000 on a daily basis on themselves alone. According to http//:www.kibera.org.uk it speaks on how alcohol is consumed in slums of Nairobi. In this slum most people take changaa since it is cheap at Ksh.10 per glass. This increases cost of living and in turn increases poverty. Whether from a high class or low class status alcoholics use most of their money in alcohol leaving their families very little to use on food and clothing Unemployment Excessive consumption of alcohol can bring about unemployment although most research work however shows that unemployment can cause alcoholism. Unemployment can be brought about by the following 1. Work absenteeism and loss of work -: absenteeism from one’s work place will cause one’s work to be covered by another employee reducing efficiency and results in work places. This makes most employers to put one on probation and eventually fire them due to their dependency on alcohol. 2. Lack of hiring-: most employers nowadays tend to find out their employees background from past employers and how they were. Cases where alcoholism would rise up as a weakness in an employee would make one not get the job. 3. Lack of focus (dependency)-: alcoholics tend not to be focused and not aware of opportunities that may arise due to them being under the influence of alcohol most of the times Costs to industry The following are the effects of alcoholism in Nairobi to the cost of industry-: 1. Costs if hiring new workers- due to loss of jobs from alcoholism, companies are forced to spend a lot of money hiring, that is through advertisements and interviews. 2. Friction between employees and alcoholics-: there is usually a lot of conflict between alcoholics and fellow employees therefore more friction and definitely low production and performance. 3. Inefficiency by member staff- alcoholics tend to keep their colleagues from working because their absence may depend on them to have completed some tasks that is related to what their colleagues do this causes inefficiency at work. 4. Accidents at work carelessness and clumsiness at the place of work causes missed deadlines, increased medical bills and cancelled contract. 5. Health expenses- alcoholism causes many illnesses to one’s body causing ill health, injuries bringing about high medical bill costs to the companies. 6. Loss of manpower- alcohol tends to cause a high number of deaths in Nairobi from drunk driving of individuals to drunk driving of PSV drivers bringing a huge number of losses of lives which is also a big loss of skilled man power. SOCIAL EFFECTS According to http://www.ehow.com/facts_4912001_socialeffects_al cohol.html alcoholism has the following social effects. 1. Impaired judgment- once one has taken alcohol they will often have an impaired judgment and during driving it can cause a fatal accident. 2. Unhappy marriages- alcoholism causes frustration in marriages due to battering, constant fighting and the absence of the alcoholic spouse may cause stress to the family. In turn cases of divorce rise and therefore home being broken. On a tour to opening the new brew house President Mwai Kibaaki said, “I am particularly concerned that excessive consumption of illicit brew in our country has also contributed to breakdown of families and increased poverty.” http://www.statehousekenya.go .ke/news/feb2010/2010170201.htm 3. Illnesses- alcoholics tend to frustrate their partners and children causing them to suffer from stress and the alcoholic suffers from many alcoholic diseases. CONTROL MEASURES Due to the increased levels of alcohol consumption in Nairobi and its outskates the government should take the following measures to reduce the effect. Mass media The government should use mass media to influence the population against alcoholism and also create awareness about the ill effects of alcoholism. There should also be a number of different media 9print, broadcast, billboards with advertisements and restrictions on alcohol advertisement. Physical availability The government should ban drinking and sale of alcohol in public places and in or near educational institutions. They should ensure legal alcohol purchase age is insured and only on the proof of an identity of the legal age is when one can be sold for the alcohol. The government together with Nairobi city council should ensure there are restrictions on the type of beverages sold in retail stores. Other restrictions should be on the density of stores selling alcohol in a given location. Some of the common places of this practice in Nairobi are Nairobi West, most estates in the Eastlands of Nairobi, and Kitengela. Another restriction should be on the business hours for selling alcohol this was helped by passing of the Alcoholic Drink Control Act 2010. Drinking context The society should try and come up with community mobilization programs to measure public awareness of alcohol problems within the society. There should also be mandatory training of alcohol servers to prevent and manage aggression. Alcohol prices The government should try and increase the price index of beer, wine and spirits. This will make the alcoholics to cut the costs on alcoholic drinking by cutting down on the number of bottles they take. Motor vehicles The government should establish random breath testing of drivers and set a legal alcohol limit for which above exceeding the legal limit there will be a mandatory penalty e.g. fine or license suspension. Medical measures An alcoholic can revert to medical measures using such drugs as Disulfiram tablet which is given to a patient so that if the patient takes a small amount off alcohol they will suffer nausea, vomiting, headache, flushing, palpitation, mental confusion etc. Chlorodiazepoxide prevents withdrawal symptoms. Psycho-social measures Psychotherapy; involves counseling of an addict to quit alcohol. Alcoholic anonymous: is an organization consisting of ex-alcoholics sharing their personal experience with alcohol and motivate them to leave it. CONCLUSION Excessive consumption of alcohol in Nairobi has been a rising risk to the individuals, society, our industries and the government. For us to eradicate this we should know that it starts with us, oneself. For us to know if we are alcoholics we should be able to ask ourselves some certain questions, which include:- AA's 12 Questions this yes-or-no -question test is used to determine if A.A. might be helpful to you, but it can also be used to help you determine if you are in "deep trouble" with your drinking. CAGE Questionnaire Developed by the American Psychiatric Association, this four-question test is usually used by healthcare professionals to quickly determine if the need for further evaluation of a patient's alcohol use is indicated. Short Alcohol Tests There are many other short alcohol screening test that have been designed to quickly screen for drinking problems, including the MAST, the AUDIT, the FAST and others. Physical and Mental Symptoms of Alcoholism * Weight loss due to malnutrition * Insomnia or oversleeping * Unexplained nausea or sore stomach * Redness of the face or cheeks * Numbness or tingling in the hands and feet * Tremors or shaking * Erectile dysfunction * High blood pressure * Increased irritability, agitation, anger and violence * Excessive displays of emotion, such as uncontrolled crying When one finds out he/she is an alcoholic they should try there best and look for help from the means mentioned under control measures. We should know that alcoholism fighting needs to be a part of all of us. Us who are not alcoholics should try and help the ones affected because one way or the other it will came back to affect us. As God gave us the power to take care of everything on earth we should not abandon our brothers and sisters simply because they are alcoholics rather we should look for ways to help them. [pic]