A warning to consume alcohol moderately this festive season

The South African National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (SANCA) launched a campaign that urges ordinary citizens not to overindulge during this festive season.

MBOMBELA – Marina Erasmus, the director of SANCA Lowveld, stated that, “Younger people from the age of 15 and up are becoming alcoholics.”

“It is the long-term poisoning of your body, which could lead to frontal lobe brain damage or liver damage. I personally know people who have died this past year due to excessive alcohol usage,” she said.

The initiative, aptly named “Go Mild not Wild”, aims to curb the alcohol consumption of South Africans, who are rated as one of the top ten consumers of alcoholic beverages by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Statistics presented by the South African Medical Research Council show that alcohol and cannabis are the substances most commonly used and abused in South Africa.

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In 2010 South Africa was listed at number 11, but less than 10 years later the Global Status Report, published by the WHO, ranked South Africa sixth in the world.

The report indicated that although only 31 percent of adults reported consuming alcohol, the average drinker in South Africa consumed 30 litres of pure alcohol in 2016 alone.

The dangerous effects of alcohol use are well-known and have over the last 30 years manifested in higher-than-average mortality rates, Foetal Alcohol Syndrome and underage drinking.

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It was reported in 2015, that of the 529 400 deaths that year, approximately 62 300 died of alcohol-related causes in the country.

Deeply rooted in the South African culture of celebration, excessive drinking is a reality of the festive season and SANCA has provided the following tips to help you “Go Mild, Not Wild” this festive season:

• Don’t drink to get drunk. This implies that you are not thinking logically and will most likely not stop when your limit is reached.
• Don’t drink if you are on medication or other drugs.
• Don’t mix your drinks, and don’t leave your drink unattended.
• Line your stomach with something to eat before you drink.

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• Drink a glass of water between alcoholic drink to dilute and expel the alcohol in your system.
• Don’t drink and drive, as you can exceed the legal limit only after one drink. Rather engage a taxi-cab service.
• Employ the ‘Buddy System’. Your appointed buddy is there to look out for you, to protect you and to get you home.