By Pak Bui
The only way to diminish the horrific impact of alcoholism on Sarawakians’ lives is to address the root causes: chronic underemployment, loss of our cultural and communal anchors, rural-urban drift, and sheer boredom.
This will require a change of government, security of land tenure, and an end to our homegrown plague of termite corruption. That discussion is for another day.
We also need to reform the alcoholic beverage industry. Advertising by the alcohol industry certainly plays a role in alcoholism. Alcohol producers are very visible sponsors of sporting and entertainment events. Their advertising campaigns promote drinking alcohol as glamorous.
“More harmful than heroin”
David Nutt’s unusual name and scientific opinions have earned him many sneers among the United Kingdom establishment. He is a former British government drugs policy advisor, sacked for his outspoken views.
Nutt made an audacious assertion in early November that alcohol was the most harmful drug in the UK, worse than heroin or crack cocaine, in terms of damage to the individual and to other people.
His team of scientists pointed out the costs to society of alcohol-related violence and crime, repeated hospital admissions for alcohol-related illnesses, loss of productivity. He said the effects of alcohol intoxication and dependence had been highlighted almost a century ago, with a movement towards prohibition in several countries including the United States – a movement that failed miserably.
“Since the second world war the alcohol industry has become one of the most powerful and successful in the UK. Intake has grown steadily, each person on average drinking more than twice that consumed in 1945. Successive governments have often made decisions that increase sales,” he said in the Guardian.
“The alcohol industry has successfully grown its market into under-age drinking groups by making available innocent-tasting alcopops; advertising alcohol in a glamorous and cool way with ‘psychedelic’ or stimulant overtones; and increasing the availability of high-strength drinks, the most dangerous of which are the 8-9% ciders and lagers, providing the cheapest way to get drunk.
“The alcohol industry, naturally, is denying its role in creating this problem and is making no serious attempt to moderate its contribution to the enormous harms caused.”
One way out
An Englishman in Sarawak, Bernard Long, has attempted to help other alcoholics by setting up a local Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) branch. AA works by voluntary support by recovering alcoholics.
AA members follow a twelve-step programme, the first of which is to admit that they are powerless over alcohol, and their lives have become unmanageable. The support programme adopts the guiding principle of “one day at a time”.
AA meetings are currently running in Miri.
A dear friend attends AA meetings in every city he is in. He holds two degrees. In conversation, he is charming, inspiring and intelligent in equal measures. He is a thoughtful, caring friend and son. He is also a brilliant writer and speaker. But alcohol has come close to destroying his life.
He is tackling his addiction gamely: he tells me that AA’s (and his) mantra is ‘one day at a time’, and he faces up to his alcohol dependency bravely, day by day, with the help of AA and his ‘sponsor’, a friend and fellow recovering alcoholic in the support group.
Bernard Long told a joke to illustrate how AA works.
“A drunk fell in a hole and couldn’t get out. A businessman went by. The drunk called out for help. The businessman threw him some money and told him ‘Get yourself a ladder’. But the drunk could not find a ladder in this hole he was in.
“A doctor walked by. The drunk said, ‘Help, I can’t get out.’ The doctor gave him drugs and said, ‘Take this, it will relieve the pain.’ The drunk said thanks, but when the pills ran out, he was still in the hole.
“A renowned psychiatrist rode by and heard the drunk’s cries for help. He stopped and said, ‘How did you get there? Were you born there? Were you put there by your parents? Tell me about yourself, it will alleviate your sense of loneliness.’ So the drunk talked with him for an hour, then the psychiatrist had to leave, but he said he’d be back next week. The drunk thanked him, but he was still in his hole.
“A recovering alcoholic happened to be passing by. The drunk cried out, ‘Hey, help me, I’m stuck in this hole.’ Right away, the recovering alcoholic jumped in the hole with him. The drunk said, ‘What are you doing? Now we’re both stuck here.’ But the recovering alcoholic said, ‘It’s okay, I’ve been here before, I know how to get out.’
“That’s the secret of AA. We’ve been in the hole and we know how to get out.”
Hornbill Unleashed 
Respect appropriate timing for your fixes guys.
Drink only if there is something to celebrate about. NEVER drink after a loss cos it is even more important to keep alert and deal with the pain then. BE HONEST. Same for smoking. Don’t smoke if stressed or to cancel stress. Do smoke to celebrate something (i.e. completed assignment) or at most to finish up after a good meal (cigs and drinks after bad meals seriously worsen the mood).
Drink and smoke at the end of a workday or during break time, but not during work hours, whats there to drink or smoke about during work? This way you make sense when indulging, and also save money (by the time you are so successful at everything, by all means indulge, though have a window of ‘sober/smoke-free’ time and watch the health), put some positive reinforcement into the use of stimulants/relaxants, it is doubly meaningful and rewarding.
As for drinking upper class types with time to stock a bar should try being less lazy and start studying cocktails, with the middle class minded long familiar with wines, brandies, vodkas (plainly to differentiate from beer and toddy drinkers and the lower class types with no time to think but only drink – and kill brain cells.
This is a community message from the Neutral 3rd Forcer faction (Next : Adult Industry As a Cultural Phenomenon – Mistressing vs Red Light Districts – Who uses what . . . )
Comment by AgreeToDisagree — December 6, 2010 @ 6:07 PM |
For 30 years Taib have been over using everything and everyone.
Comment by Wayang Street — December 5, 2010 @ 11:57 PM |
Pak Bui you put your finger on the nub of the problem!
“Alcohol misuse is common among all other native peoples confronted with a rapidly shifting culture, and subjugation by a colonial power. Native Americans, the Inuit, Aboriginal and Maori peoples have some of the worst alcohol abuse problems in their new colonised ‘nations’ of the United States, Canada, Australia and new Zealand”.
If alcoholism is so widespread in Sarawak, it should be be joining the ranks of those countries described and add “the Sarawak natives”.
Ameridians called it “fire water”. We share with them very similar experiences of the debilitating impact of colonialism.
Yes alcoholism is a sad reflection on the plight of a people who have been dispossessed of their land in Sarawak as happened to the North American Indians and also in the rest of South American.
This is one of the features of colonialism which has destroyed the souls and lives of so many innocent peoples.
Pak Bui you said: “the root causes: chronic underemployment, loss of our cultural and communal anchors, rural-urban drift, and sheer boredom.
This will require a change of government, security of land tenure, and an end to our homegrown plague of termite corruption”
All that plus total government neglect caused by its creation of a new class of homeless and landless ulu people through theft of their land”.
What sort of “change of government” do we want?
The colonial plunder will just continue with a “Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dee” situation if UMNO merely switches the next ruling party or the leader of PBB BN in Sarawak
We also want a change of nationality- an Independent Sarawak because a simple change of the colonial puppet government does not solve the root cause of our problems.
Comment by Abang — December 5, 2010 @ 6:52 PM |
Abang, I have to agree on your point about an Independent Sarawak.
Comment by dee — December 7, 2010 @ 1:08 PM |
Abusing religion is also bad. So is being racist.
Comment by dee — December 5, 2010 @ 5:22 PM |
Abuse of anything is bad. It needn’t be just alcohol. Addiction to money is a bane to our beloved country. Shall we ban the use of money?
Greed is a choice. Just like about everything else available to us. Alcohol, smoking, overeating, fried foods, etc.
Learning to resist begins from young, but the choice for moderation is with us throughout our lives.
Comment by Remie — December 5, 2010 @ 9:59 AM |