Alcohol the mother of all evil

We often hear about alcohol fueled violence from each and every part of country and whenever the news of young people getting drunk and then attacking other people in a gathering of marriage that too without any provocation at most times our television channels start feeding us with doses about the evil of drinking. 

We all know that alcohol related violence is nothing new in our country but it has always been here from ages or since the devil in the bottle was invented. People who find solace from drinking alcohol can be influenced by the hidden demons in it at the same time. People try to act innocent once they commit serious crimes under the influence of alcohol. 

Alcohol is bad

Now the question arises – can one blame a person under the influence of alcohol for his crimes or violent behavior? But how can they survive the blame because it was their decision to drink knowing fully well the after effects of it. The alcohol can seriously affect various glands in the human body mainly liver, known as the largest gland of the human body and the worst that can happen to a human due to over drinking is lack of appetite or the jaundice. And to add to it that harm to human body is not limited to these two problems only.  

Wait – Alcohol is bad but …

Alcohol is undoubtedly bad but human system can tolerate it up to some extent. We need to differentiate between the types of alcohols mainly the ethanol and methanol. We should know that ethanol comes under drinkable category of alcohols that is basically the form of alcohol sold or used for drinking purpose. To be exact ethanol is used for preservation of wine to keep them safe from deteriorating otherwise the alcoholic drinks would soon turn into vinegar. The use of ethanol could be from 4-10% in low alcoholic drinks like beer, which are not that harmful for human consumption.  

The other form of alcohol, the methanol is mainly obtained by distilling various woods and other similar products is considered dangerous for human consumption and it can cause repairable damage if consumed in large quantity. It can send a drinker in state of coma or can make him blind as we often read or hear in news about illicit liquor cases in our country killing hundreds and blinding many in such cases. In our country, such instances take place mostly in villages especially at marriage and festivals occasions when the opportunist try to multiply their income without keeping innocent lives in their minds. 

You will be surprised to read that alcohol has certain properties, which can help reviving in human lives as well. If a person is suffering from intense cold can be treated with small quantity of brandy or even whiskey. Both of these two brands contain almost equal quantity of alcohol. 

The violence caused by alcohol

Assaults caused by alcohol are generally referred as random acts of sudden surge of blood especially in high society of our country, a method to reduce the intensity of the crime that takes place in the parties thrown by bigwigs. However, the recent spate of increasing incidents has once again opened up the serious discussion the role of alcohol and other drugs in our society. Alcohol has become part of lifestyle of high society in our country and there is no ignoring its significant impact that is part of the western world. 

We can see the increasing trend in our so-called high society in last couple of decades, ever since our country achieved higher growth rates and people saw their opportunities to earn better income. Emergence of neo-rich in the society wanted to show the world that they had acquired big money and wanted to display it. Throwing parties at the drop of a hat was only a way to display their wealth and alcohol and drugs were essential parts of such parties. 

Peer pressure and heavy drinking habits played a massive role in made these people forgetting their limits of activities and ways to behave within prescribed ethical limits of Indian society. Although, drinking has always been part of Indian society but the recent upsurge in incidents of men and women prone to act of violence under the influence of drugs or alcohol has sounded an alarm. Whenever the matter is discussed and considered for those who engage in drinking habit in the society they consider that the violence is only a side effect that is associated with drinking habit but the law of our country does not accept it. 

The matter of drinking and resulting violence is considered a mitigating and at the same time, a factor generally raised to dilute the intensity of the crime by the defense on the ground that the person was not in self-control at the time the crime took place. And in most such cases, the defendants have successfully escaped the heavier punishment. There is immediate need to change the law to punish people those who show tendency to commit crime when drunk, after all, it is the man or woman who is responsible for drinking in the first place knowing fully well the after effects of the devil in the bottle.

What is the solution then?

We can always look at the criminal and legislation side of the problem but we shall not find an appropriate solution unless we see at the root of the problem. Unless people will learn to accept the responsibility of their own action and that of their friends as, in most such violent cases were carried out by a group while they all were over drunk. Everyone in that group was encouraging everyone else without caring to stop others or telling to cool down their over reacting friends. No one ever wanted to caution anyone in such cases but they all were enjoying the sufferings of other party.

We do not expect changes overnight or you cannot deploy police officers at every building, club, bar, hotel and cinema halls. Even the stricter punishment can only help stop such incidents up to a certain extent but self-awareness is the only solution. We should go right from the school education level to teach our children about after effects of excessive drinking habits. Ultimately it is our education system that needs to come into the wider frame of the picture and teach our future adults to behave properly. 

I hope you are not one of them about whom Henny Youngman said - “When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading.” We must know that only fools engage in useless acts of violence and our society has plenty of such idiots. I know we cannot get rid of such fools overnight but we must make sure that they don’t get away easily unpunished.   


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