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05/29/2007: "Is Banning Alcohol really the Solution? By R S Mayori"

Is Banning Alcohol really the Solution?
By R S Mayori

Alcohol, mainly wine was our daily food in the past during my great grand father’s time. I have never heard of stories where people are infested with alcoholic problems in a society of ours. Recently the problem has been spreading like an epidemic for the Nagas. It has consumed the best of the best people from us. Many have raised a myriad of questions on this issue and with no concrete answer.

Both culturally and legally alcohol is food. However, as long ago as the 1800s, temperance writers insisted that alcohol was not a food. Instead, they described it as a poison that was dangerous to life and health. That long tradition continues to this day. In fact stigmatizing alcoholic beverages and discouraging their use have actually become U.S. federal policy.
What Is Alcohol Abuse?
• To some college students, heavy drinking that leads to vomiting is not alcohol abuse but simply having a good time and being "one of the gang."
• To many whose religion requires abstinence, simply tasting an alcohol beverage is not only alcohol abuse but a sin.
• To many activists, a married couple quietly enjoying a drink with their dinner is guilty of abusing alcohol if they happen to be twenty years-old.
• To the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, an accident is alcohol related (and implicitly caused by alcohol abuse) if a driver who has consumed a drink is sitting at a red light and rear-ended by an inattentive teetotaler.

Is alcohol a taboo for Nagas and Christian? Research has shown that scientifically speaking leaving out the man made religion point of view. Moderate drinkers tend to have better health and live longer than those who are either abstainers or heavy drinkers. In addition to having fewer heart attacks and strokes, moderate consumers of alcoholic beverages (beer, wine or distilled spirits or liquor) are generally less likely to suffer hypertension or high blood pressure, peripheral artery disease, Alzheimer's disease and the common cold. Sensible drinking also appears to be beneficial in reducing or preventing diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, bone fractures and osteoporosis, kidney stones, digestive ailments, stress and depression, poor cognition and memory, Parkinson's disease, hepatitis A, pancreatic cancer, macular degeneration (a major cause of blindness), angina pectoris, duodenal ulcer, erectile sysfunction, hearing loss, gallstones, liver disease and poor physical condition in elderly.

Some of the history also shows that, Alcohol has been used medicinally throughout recorded history; its medicinal properties are mentioned 191 times in the Old and New Testaments. As early as the turn of the century there was evidence that moderate consumption of alcohol was associated with a decrease in the risk of heart attack. And the evidence of health benefits of moderate consumption has continued to grow over time. A review of research evidence from 1900 to 1986 found a strong, consistent relationship.




Study and survey: Moderate drinkers tend to live longer than those who either abstain or drink heavily.
• A recent Harvard study found the risk of death from all causes to be 21% to 28% lower among men who drank alcohol moderately, compared to abstainers.
• A large-scale study in China recently found that middle-aged men who drank moderately had a nearly 20% lower overall mortality compared to abstainers.
• A British analysis of 12,000 male physicians found that moderate drinkers had the lowest risk of death from all causes during the 13 year study.
• A large study of about 88,000 people conducted over a period of ten years found that moderate drinkers were about 27% less likely to die during the period than were either abstainers or heavy drinkers. The superior longevity was largely due to a reduction of such diseases as coronary heart disease, cancer, and respiratory diseases.
• A twelve year long prospective study of over 200,000 men found that subjects who had consumed alcohol in moderation were less likely to die than those who abstained from alcohol.

The survey put up in website www.tangkhul.com “Should alcohol be ban in Ukhrul?” shows 72.57% says No and 24.78% says yes and the rest confused.
And I quote some of the comments why it should not be ban or should be ban:
“I think alcohol should not be ban but we should think of other way to stop the Nagas from being alcoholic. Banning stuff doesn't help it encourage and increase the trend.”

“..infact allowing alcohol to be sold freely would encourage people to drink better drinks which is much better for health compared to the stuff that is available otherwise ...(people who drinks will drink anyway..”

”Empirically, after alcohol has been banned for so long, how are our elders, youngsters and children better than the elders, youngsters and children of other states where alcohol is not banned...”

“Our people loves Moral Policing ... my question is ... who will police the police???
P.S. This expressed views has nothing to do with the fact, whether I drink or not ...”

“Chinese don't have drunkard in the street why? The Rongmeis(One of the tribe among Nagas) sell wine and they live on in Imphal and No alcoholic cases among the Rongmeis. It's simple if there is don't and do rule laid down then a reason “why” should be given. Banning drinks like wine and Beer makes the black marketer richer and it increases the number of consumer. The moment drinks are ban, drugs comes in. Instead of banning they should imposed standardized drinks with better quality and promote indigenous drinks instead of foreign liquor. We all better give thought to this problem because every family is facing this alcoholism in our society.”

“I think alcohol restrictions will only further the consumption of illegal substances. When a society is thought about responsible methods of consuming any substance whether be food or alcohol the risk of becoming co-dependent is lessen.
It's like getting caught with your fingers in the cookie Jar for most it is and exciting experience, the trill of not being caught. The trill of not being caught is sometimes more addictive then the cookies itself.”

Youth and Drinking Issue:
Public policy in the U.S. calling for complete alcohol abstinence by all persons under the age of 21 is highly unsuccessful. Indeed, there is much evidence that the policy has actually been counterproductive -- causing more problems than it prevents. (By David J. Hanson, Ph.D.) Young people observe the world around them and realize that most people enjoy consuming alcoholic beverages without abusing it them or causing any harm to anyone whatsoever. Most abstinence-only programs, however, tend to ignore the important distinction and treat any use as abuse of alcohol.
The popular gateway theory holds that using one substance, such as alcohol or tobacco, leads to the use of drugs. However, years of US government research have failed to produce any evidence that using one substance causes the use of another. Again, young people realize from observation that those who consume alcohol don’t usually, much less inevitably, go on to use drugs.
Exaggerating the dangers of alcohol consumption has been part of alcohol education for over one hundred years in the west and now the same tactic is applied in our society after the coming in of the Christianity. Scare tactics and “health terrorism” are not only ineffective but also counterproductive. As young people mature, they realize the falsity of the myths presented to them as fact. At that point, alcohol educators have lost all credibility. Alcohol is a part of Naga culture and the majority of Nagas enjoy alcohol beverages in the past (Still there are majority of them who enjoyed the course). To pretend that young people will grow up to enter a world of abstinence is both unrealistic and irresponsible
The majority of young people will consume alcohol, at least occasionally. This doesn’t mean that they are bad or that their parents have failed them. It means that alcohol is part of youth culture, as it is in the larger society. It means that their children are normal.
Unfortunately, the complete and only goal of our abstinence-only approach is to prevent any and all consumption of alcohol among us. Young people (including all adults age 18, 19, and 20) are told to abstain and sometimes given strategies to help them refuse alcoholic beverages.
Nothing is provided for those who choose to drink. There is no information on alcohol equivalency, on pacing consumption, on the importance of eating while drinking, on the use of designated drivers, or on anything else than can reduce the possible harm resulting from alcohol abuse.
Protecting young people and keeping them from safe from harm must be a goal of any reality-based alcohol education program (especially the Church). Such programs need to:
• Provide accurate, truthful and unbiased information about alcohol and its consumption
• Distinguish between the use and abuse of alcohol
• Teach the legal status and potential legal consequences of underage purchase, possession and/or consumption of alcohol(For India under 25 and Nepal age no bar)
• Teach effective ways to reduce the potential harm that can result from the abuse of alcohol
Many groups and communities around the world have learned how to consume alcohol widely with almost no problems. Some of those groups include Italians, Jews, and Greeks. These people look at it as
• The substance of alcohol is seen as basically neutral. It is neither a terrible poison nor is it a magic elixir that can transform people into what they would like to be
• The act of drinking is seen as natural and normal. While there is little or no social pressure to drink, there is absolutely no tolerance for abusing drinking
• Education about alcohol starts early and starts in the home. Young people are taught -- through their parents' good example and under their supervision -- that if they drink, they must do so moderately and responsibly.
This approach has enabled people to avoid the alcohol abuse problems that are common in our society. Yet, alcohol educators fail to learn from the experience of successful groups, choosing instead to portray alcohol as a "dirty drug" to be feared and avoided; to promote abstinence as the best choice for all people; and to work toward reducing all consumption of alcohol beverages.
Instead of stigmatizing alcohol and trying to scare people into abstinence, we need to recognize that it is not alcohol itself but rather the abuse of alcohol that is the problem. The alcoholic problem within youths in our society is pain in the neck for many religious leaders, have we ever consider looking at the problem from the child’s perspective? Have we ever step into his shoes and look at the problem? If I will suggest “Teach Your Children Alcohol Moderation” many will look at me with jaundice eyes. Let me just site a few instance to make this more simple. Kind of like the way society handles kids and alcohol.
If you haven’t seen “The Cat in the Hat” movie, here’s a brief synopsis of the story line: The Cat tells the little Boy that whatever he does, do NOT open the big box the Cat brought into the house or bad things will happen. Naturally, unable to withstand the temptation, the kid opens the box - and all Hades breaks out. In the end the Cat admits he told the boy NOT to open the box because he KNEW the kid wouldn’t be able to resist doing what he was told not to do.
When it comes to “adult beverages,” the unmistakable lesson drilled into kids’ heads is “don’t open the box.” Whatever you do, don’t drink. Period. End of discussion. So after many years of being told “no, no, no” under Mom and Dad’s roof, what’s the first thing Little Imti does when he finally leaves the nest and flies off to college? Party time, baby!! Yo yo! Kaabi Motu Kaabi auro enjoy!
And it usually ends with the predictable, often tragic consequences. Having never been taught how to responsibly consume alcoholic beverages, these young adults have a tendency to take a good thing too far - often killing themselves and others.
Are we really doing our kids any favors by not teaching them how to handle alcohol responsibly at an earlier age and under adult supervision? I’m not saying to actively promote alcohol consumption, or forcing kids to drink who don’t want to. What I AM trying to say is that wrapping them up in a non-alcohol bubble for many years and then cutting them loose unsupervised is both naïve and counterproductive.
The church shouldn’t be promoting alcohol consumption, but neither should it prohibit parents from teaching their own kids how to handle drinking socially and responsibly. Perhaps by taking the “glamour” out of drinking, fewer kids will abuse the privilege once out on their own. It might even save lives.