Morung Express News
Dimapur | July 19
Despite the lofty 'Dry State' tag, alcohol has become synonymous with an 'evergreen disease' in Nagaland.
This is backed by official records and data—in District Hospital Dimapur (DHD), which receives maximum number of patients throughout the year, 50% of the indoor patients have alcohol related ailments.
Among all the substance abuse cases, alcohol tops the list and the numbers are at its peak, especially after the festive season and elections.
This was revealed by DHD senior psychiatrist, Dr. C Kezo, during the launching programme of North East Artist Network (NEAN) Nagaland Liquor Total Prohibition (NLTP) campaign at Tourist Lodge, Friday afternoon.
The senior psychiatrist said an alcoholic patient usually indulges in substance abuse at the peak of their life (between 18 to 60 years). Dr Kezo said a person who continues to consume alcohol over the years, cannot, in the long run, escape from mental ailments.
He meanwhile viewed that the NLTP Act was just a piece of paper, with illegal sale of alcohol rampant because of restrictions and loopholes. Dr. Kezo also lamented on the lack of manpower in the psychiatric department. There is no manpower to handle the volume of such cases, he disclosed adding that there are only six beds at the District Detox Centre (DDC).
Expounding on Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), he explained that AUD is a pattern of alcohol use that involves problems in controlling one's drinking, being preoccupied with alcohol, continuing to use alcohol even when it causes problems, having to drink more to get the same effect, or having withdrawal symptoms when a person rapidly decreases or stops drinking, a diagnosis with chronic relapse disease.
He meanwhile saw encouragement at the way several organizations are coming forward to help alcoholics and not viewing the addiction as a stigma.
NEAN NLTP initiative in charge campaign core committee, Toshiba Jamir in his address remarked that the NLTP Act has achieved its purpose; however there are important issues related to alcoholism which still need systematic intervention, along with strengthening implementation of the act.
"The ever increasing numbers of alcoholism victims in the state was indicative of the low level of awareness and understanding of NLTP act by the masses of the state. The inflow of spurious liquor in the form of IMFL illegally in the state poses a grave concern and endangers many lives", Jamir said.
According to Jamir there are three approaches to address substance addiction-harm reduction, demand and supply reduction. The supply reduction hardly gives positive outcome in many areas; and the NLTP Act falls under supply reduction. Therefore he said steps need to be taken in the demand side and harm reduction, while understanding the ground realities with facts. Without these components, he opined that any discussion at present may result in conflict.
Jamir said the NEAN has been initiating mass based community awareness intervention activities on alcoholism. The organisation puts major focus on the NLTP Act called the "NEAN NLTP initiatives" with the slogan ‘take the first step for alcohol recovery’ and the theme ‘taking the lead towards deeper understanding.’ The objective, he said, was to bring about a positive and balanced understanding by generating wide spread level of awareness about the act.
The NEAN, he said, believes that bringing the NLTP Act to the public domain would enable enhanced awareness of rampant alcohol abuse in Naga society, which will strengthen the implementation of the act.
The initiative of NEAN "NLTP initiatives" will comprise the concern of health issues and social problems associated with alcohol in consonance with the needs of the users and the implementation will have several programs—prevention education and awareness programs/services; setting up group support; sensitisation program; counselling; case study; information, education and communication; and detoxification camp.
