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THE GOAN
EXCLUSIVE
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CHILL-ING FACTS
* Addicts usually come to GMC with severe cases of pancreatitis and vomiting of blood
* The elite and professionals also belong to this category of alcoholism
* Most disturbing fact is women resorting to alcohol as a means of dealing with stress
* Women tend to suffer in silence thus aggravating the problem
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The BJP government’s policy of freely granting liquor licences is taking the State down the dangerous road to alcoholism. About 45 per cent of the State’s population are now alcohol dependent and of this, 18 to 20 per cent are alcohol addicts, according to a study conducted by the Goa Medical College.
But despite these frightening statistics, the BJP government has continued to release licences for new liquor outlets. Over 300 such outlets were opened in the last three years alone.
Based on cases received at the Goa Medical College (GMC), the numbers translate to reflect 6 to 7 lakh of the population as being alcoholic. 18 to 20 percent of this number are male addicts and 8 percent of them are female addicts.
Associate Professor and surgeon Dr Rajesh Patil, who works with cases related to and resulting from alcoholism at the GMC said the figures may in fact be much higher.
“Most of the statistics we have are based on cases we’ve gotten at the hospital. The actual numbers may be higher. These presumptions are based on the type of patients we receive, especially those that come to the hospital with cases of liver cancer, liver sclerosis and complications of the pancreas,” said Dr Patil.
Addicts usually come to the hospital with severe cases of pancreatitis and vomiting of blood. Addictions according to Patil usually progress to substance abuse.
Referred to as a disease, there is a huge amount of denial and is seldom reserved to only the lower strata of the population. According to Patil, “the elite and professionals also belong to this category of alcoholism but it is difficult to get them to admit to them having a problem and thus seek counseling is also a task,” he said.
But the issue isn’t limited only to financial status. A rather disturbing trend according to the doctor is of women resorting to alcohol as a means of dealing with stress.
At a recent Alcoholic Anonymous (AA) meeting in the capital Panjim, the numbers of women attending were minimal. But according to members, the problem is a real one that rarely gets discussed.
“The case with women is that they are closet drinkers and coupled with families, the thought of openly admitting to having a problem is out of question,” said one AA member who has worked with such women.
Living the busy life, women are forced to control both work and home life leading to added stress and alcohol is seen as a means of escaping it all. This opinion is also voiced by Patil who said women tend to suffer in silence thus aggravating the problem. He also insisted that no matter how bad, they need to seek help and advice.
He also suggests setting up of more government run rehab centers in the state. Currently the only state run institutions are at the IPHB, Bambolim, Mapusa district hospital and Hospicio, Margao.
“There should be more facilities to treat this disease. Also a separate facility for women needs to be made. Moreover, there is also the need to step up and integrate the work between all the institutions,” he said.
At GMC too, Patil has managed to have a system in place that allows alcoholics admitted to the hospital to receive counseling before they are discharged from the hospital.
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Goa has 7,328 bars or
1 for every 199 Goans
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FAST REWIND
Last week, Francis D’Souza, deputy chief minister washed his hands off the alcoholism problem
* There are more bars than pharmacies in Goa and nobody can do anything about it, he had said
* We cannot shut down bars. But at the individual level we need to have will power to say no, the minister had said
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There is literally one bar in the state for every 199 Goans! And this it driving half the population towards alcoholism.
As per the state excise department, there are 7,328 licenses issued for bars in Goa. Given that Goa’s total population stood at just 14.6 lakhs according to 2011 census, this would amount to one bar license for every 199 Goans.
Last week, Francis D’Souza, deputy chief minister washed his hands off the alcoholism problem. He had said, “There are more bars than pharmacies in Goa and nobody can do anything about it. We cannot shut down bars. But at the individual level we need to have will power to say no and stay away from addiction.”
Kerala, which faced a similar problem took the hard decision to ban liquor sale, while Goa has taken the soft decision to promote hard liquor.
As opposed to other states of India, licenses are not issued to standalone bars in Goa, except for taverns. Menino D'Souza, excise commissioner, said, “The reason we don’t issue licenses for standalone bars is often in places like these people don’t maintain decorum and create nuisance. So, we issue license only if a bar is with a restaurant or inside a hotel, because in that case families can also go to the bar and decorum is maintained as well”
Taverns have existed in Goa for centuries and are part of Goan culture. That’s where a number of Goans head to to have a peg of feni or any other kind of alcohol they like. But, the state government, as a policy, does not give license to more taverns. So, there can be no additional taverns in the state. Since some of them get their license cancelled, the number of taverns must have reduced over the years.
