OPINION | Alcohol and Broken Homes

~~By Natasha Dkhar

A pint of beer, a peg of whiskey/scotch. Yes, many of us know the, "oh so wonderful feeling" that we get when each sip of this magic like potion passes down our throat. Debates and arguments tend to begin, people start showing off their amazing skills in foreign languages and in some cases underneath a cool,calm and composed individual there lies a crazy dare devil  that comes out with each gulp of this magic potion and takes over one's personality. So, often at times we make an assessment on the impact this magic potion called Alcohol have on the lives of consumers, his/her household and the society.

One could argue that the consumption of alcohol on a limited amount is not a problem. Let's say we can really measure the amount of how much a person drinks,its reasonable right? But what about those people who go way and beyond to a point where they have exceeded the level of the supposed measurement. Addiction begins. Some of them go on to binge drink, some of them go on to a level where their daily lives becomecompletely dependent on alcohol. And that's how the problem begins.

Most of us are aware of addiction and the toll it takes on a person's life and to those around him/her. Some of us may have experienced it at home or maybe we've seen it with our friends, neighbours etc. Alcohol addiction has many consequences. We've seen it in the movies and we've seen it in real life. And yes it is as real as it could get. Fights, brawls, screams and shouts tend to become a habit.

Alcohol addiction is one of the leading cause of relationship problems and most of the time it also leads to domestic violence and divorce. Alcohol addiction also takes a toll on an individual's health and also one of the leading causes of untimely death. Unfortunately many people who are addicted to alcohol aren't aware of their addiction. Not only is it a persistent problem but Addiction is a disease and many of them are unaware of their sickness.

So the question is, is there a solution to this problem? Do we have the right tools to combat addiction? We've heard, read, and seen how the western world tackles this ongoing problem.

With the right mixture of rehabilitation, counselling and medication fortunately they have been quite successful. Yes, one could say that even in our country we have a vast amount of rehabilitation centers but does everyone get access to it? It's not a secret that rehabilitation centers can be quite expensive but can the poverty stricken section of the population gain access to it?

(The writer can be contacted at natashadkhar11@gmail.com)

The views reflected in this piece are that of the author and need not necessarily be that of TNT-The Northeast Today