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Alcohol – a class question and its impactby Boniface Mouti This week I would like us to reflect on alcohol and see its impact on the society and how it can affect the young growing minds. Those with professional and managerial skills, vital and scarce in developing countries such us ours, bear responsibility for promoting their country’s economic growth. But because they are subject to job – induced stress, a WHO report says, they show a "special vulnerability" to drink. This reduces their effectiveness, the report says, and hampers economic development. In addition for many, drinking becomes a symbol of prestige and success, also with adverse results for the country. Generally speaking the poor drinker and family may be on the edge of survival, will suffer more severely from all the problems which are part of addiction, than the drinker and family from upper strata society. In the long run, extensive alcohol consumption within the mass of the people will cause society tremendous problems, socially, economically and politically. But today it may be true to say that the biggest problems caused by alcohol in Africa concern the educated elite of the continent. They are so few and their strategical importance so great. Just but for the sake of an example, there were three pathologists in one African country. Two of them were foreigners, working in a provincial town, the third one was from this country, its very first pathologist. He had been trained abroad, and on his return the whole burden of the future development of pathology in his country was laid upon his shoulders. He became head of the clinic at the university hospital in the capital, and began training the coming generation of the specialist in the country. Already while living abroad he had started drinking a lot, but on his return his bad habits became entrenched. Every now and then his clinic did not function because he was not there. His personnel did not have training enough to execute the work while he was absent. Finally the clinic had to be closed altogether, and he was sent abroad for treatment. The government had to find another pathologist in a great hurry, one who had to be very well paid and flown in immediately. While the clinic was closed, all the cancer tests from the whole country had to be sent to the clinic of a provincial town, which was soon congested. No autopsies could be made. In other words, the whole medical system of the country was seriously affected by the downfall of one single man. The way life-styles and patterns of behaviour spread puts and extra emphasis on the need for prevention among the educated. They may have got many of their concepts during their training and the western world. But what about the influence on the younger generation from their own doctors, teachers, politicians and administrators, the ones who have " made it" in modern society? In the short run alcoholism among the educated really does pose a threat or at least a hindrance to the development of many countries. Loss of prestige, money and manpower ensues. However, in the long run the alcohol – related problems of the masses are an even greater threat to the future of our countries if nothing is done to curb their development. Remember I am always speaking for the children. Our drinking habits have a bad influence on our children. What do we expect of them in the future if we don’t change? Email:
rehofo@yahoo.com
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