ALCOHOL DRINKING PATTERNS AND ITS IMPACT: A SOCIOLOGICAL STUDY (original) (raw)
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Drug and Alcohol Review, 1998
The relation of alcohol to social and casualty problems is considered, with particular attention to patterns in developing societies. Potential problems for the drinker include accidental and intentional injuries; problems in major social roles: in the family, at work and in public roles; and problems from the reaction of others to the drinking. Potential problems for those in the drinker's environment include mental health problems, injuries and social problems from role failure. Potential problems for a society or collectivity include social disintegration, and aggregate-level equivalents of the problems for the drinker and those around the drinker. Cultures vary in the dominant type of drinking pattern and, accordingly, in the extent and mixture of alcohul-related social and casualty problems. A series of cultural factors influencing the relation between drinking patterns and problems are considered. [Room R. Drinking patterns and alcohol-related social problems: frameworks for analysis in developing societies. Drug Alcobot Rev 1998;17:389-398]
Alcohol use: An exhaustive review
International journal of home science, 2017
Alcohol is a common and avoidable cause of morbidities and mortalities among students and the general population globally. The use of alcohol is on the increase, both in quantity and prevalence, in developing countries. The use and abuse of alcohol is widespread among students. The goal of the current review is to focus on primary consequences of alcohol consumption and policies for their prevention. Alcohol is a psychoactive substance which has an effect on people in many ways. Alcohol consumption is linked to many harmful consequences such as traffic accidents, workplace-related problems, family and domestic problems, and interpersonal violence etc. for the individual drinker, the drinker’s immediate environment and society as a whole which have been receiving more public or research attention in recent years. Adolescents should be warned against getting into the grip of social evils like alcoholism. So, it is important to have culturally specific and contextualized interventions ...
REVIEW ARTICLE ON KNOWLEDGE ON SOCIO-CULTURAL AND ILL EFFECTS OF ALCOHOLISM
Alcoholism is defined as chronic dependence characterized by compulsive drinking of alcohol to such a degree that produces mental disturbances and interferes with social and economic functioning.A large proportion of unwanted sexual advances are mediated by alcohol. There is risk of accidental injury, violence and acute alcohol-poisoning. Alcohol and domestic violence are linked to spouse/partner and family structures.It is well established that alcohol-dependent people and heavy drinkers have more sick-leave days than other employees. Many studies have shown that unemployment and heavy drinking tend to go together.Parental heavy drinking increases the risk of poor school performance and school drop-out among their children. In some cases, a mother's heavy drinking during pregnancy leads to attention deficits and behavioural problems in the child.Numerous research reports attest to the significant impact of drinking on accidents, suicide and violence. alcohol plays a major role in crime, especially in crimes of violence.Alcohol is estimated to cause about 20-30% worldwide diseases of oesophageal cancer, liver cancer, cirrhosis, homicide, epilepsy, and motor vehicle accidents. The aim of this study was to review the literature on knowledge on socio-cultural and ill-effects of alcoholism.
A CAUSAL RESEARCH ON ALCOHOLISM AND ITS SOCIETAL COSTS
Alcohol has now become a common word in the Indian society. With the impact of globalization, urbanization, industrialization, media influence and changing life styles, alcohol has entered into the lives of Indians in a big and unrestricted manner. From times when alcohol sale was restricted to a few bars and pubs, today, alcohol is available in plenty and in several local outlets, and is within the easy reach of today's young generation. As always, when any product is not adequately controlled and regulated, its ill effects begin to take an upper hand resulting in a huge negative impact on people's health. The response to this epidemic and to the host of deleterious consequences has been rather slow and without direction. The societal costs are increasing directly as well as indirectly; an attempt to measure the impact of alcohol consumption on Indian society has been undertaken only in recent years. Systematic data required for such costing has not been available in India. The direct and indirect impact of alcohol on the economic situation of society as a whole, has been difficult to gauge with the available data. The costs linked to alcohol use can be broadly categorized as direct and indirect, tangible and intangible. Direct costs are the medical costs linked to treatment (outpatient or inpatient), hospitalisation, long-term medication, transport costs, rehabilitation costs and in the event of death, funeral costs. Indirect costs include property damage, litigation costs, loss of insurance, and others. Intangible costs are those due to absence from work, decreased productivity, absenteeism, sickness leave, loss of school for children and many others. The value of lost life (in death), poor quality of life, lost time with family, pain and suffering are difficult to quantify. Governments incur huge expenditure for managing harmful effects of alcohol use. Substantial budgets of health ministry, law and order departments, crime divisions, traffic and law divisions, rehabilitation programs and welfare services are used to meet the increasing consequences of alcohol use. The collective costs of all these is unclear and difficult to estimate. From a small study in the state of Karnataka, it was observed that the social costs of alcoholism far exceeded the revenues generated from alcohol. Based on a small sample of alcohol dependents, it was estimated that the losses were to the tune of`18.39 billion when compared to a revenue of`8.46 billion. One study estimated that Indian society might have lost an estimated`244 billion due to the different consequences of alcohol use, while the revenue generated by the government was approximately`216 billion for the year 2004, raising the question "are we losing more than what we are gaining?". If all costs are comprehensively examined and calculated for all events linked to alcohol use in the Indian society, the total economic impact would be much higher than the available conservative estimates. Research in the past few years has conclusively demonstrated that nearly one in 3 male adults consumes alcohol, and 5% of Indian women are already regular users. Interestingly, the age of initiation of drinking is progressively coming down. Majority of young Indians after experimenting with alcohol for pleasure seeking and peer influence, end up as habitual users. A significant amount of the public health burden comes from intoxicated behavior, resulting in accidents, violence and other Behavioral consequences. With Indian patterns of drinking being different from the west and more than 500 million adults using a variety of licit and illicit liquor, the negative impact for the country is huge. Over years, our attempts to address the growing problem have been limited, fragmented and piecemeal. While revenue departments have worked relentlessly on filling coffers, health professionals are preoccupied in providing care for the ever-increasing number of alcohol users; police are battling to curb the menace of alcohol on roads, at home and in work places, NGOs are busy in increasing awareness; social welfare officials are waging a losing battle to rehabilitate alcohol addicts and courts are regularly hearing cases of alcohol impact and awarding compensations and verdicts. Ironically, health professionals and media colleagues have only fuelled this debate with confusing messages regarding alcohol use. What is apparent amidst the controversies of how much of alcohol use is right or wrong, is the absence of a unified vision, a public health approach and the common goal of a healthy society. It is true that alcohol use is a problem in every country. One look around the globe, especially the High Income Countries (HIC), reveals that the impact of alcohol use is on the
The Lancet, 2009
Alcohol consumption has been identifi ed as an important risk factor for chronic disease and injury. In the fi rst paper in this Series, we quantify the burden of mortality and disease attributable to alcohol, both globally and for ten large countries. We assess alcohol exposure and prevalence of alcohol-use disorders on the basis of reviews of published work. After identifi cation of other major disease categories causally linked to alcohol, we estimate attributable fractions by sex, age, and WHO region. Additionally, we compare social costs of alcohol in selected countries. The net eff ect of alcohol consumption on health is detrimental, with an estimated 3·8% of all global deaths and 4·6% of global disability-adjusted life-years attributable to alcohol. Disease burden is closely related to average volume of alcohol consumption, and, for every unit of exposure, is strongest in poor people and in those who are marginalised from society. The costs associated with alcohol amount to more than 1% of the gross national product in high-income and middle-income countries, with the costs of social harm constituting a major proportion in addition to health costs. Overall, we conclude that alcohol consumption is one of the major avoidable risk factors, and actions to reduce burden and costs associated with alcohol should be urgently increased.
Drinking and Its Burden in a Global Perspective: Policy Considerations and Options
European Addiction Research, 2003
Aims: To identify the policy implications of the magnitude and characteristics of alcohol consumption and problems, viewed globally, and to summarize conclusions on the effectiveness of the strategies available to policymakers concerned with reducing rates of alcohol problems. Design/Methods/Setting: This summative article draws on the findings of the articles preceding it and of reviews of the literature. Findings and Conclusions: Overall volume of consumption is the major factor in the prevalence of harms from drinking. Since consumption and associated problems tend to increase with economic development, policymakers in developing economies should be especially aware of the need to develop policies to minimize overall increases in alcohol consumption. Unrecorded consumption is also an important consideration for policy in many parts of the world, and poses difficulties for alcohol control policies. Drinking pattern is also an important contributing factor toward alcohol-related ha...
The Impact of Alcohol on Society: A Brief Overview
Social Work in Public Health, 2013
Alcohol is the most common drug used among adults in the United States. The use of alcohol is associated with an increased risk of injuries and accidents. Even a single episode of excessive drinking can lead to a negative outcome. Alcoholism and chronic use of alcohol are associated with numerous medical, psychiatric, social, and family problems. Family members, including children, exposed to a first-degree relative's alcohol problem are at risk for problems. Children of parents with alcohol addiction, for example, show higher rates of alcoholism than children who do not have parents with an alcohol addiction. It is important for social workers to keep in mind that alcohol and alcohol problems affect the health, safety, and well-being of people.
Problem Drinking among the General Population: a public health issue?
Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol, 1998
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