"Every alcoholic affects 16 people around them"
April has been recognised as Alcohol Awareness Month. Families have told and heard tales of heartache and loss in dealing with Alcohol Use Disorder. Stories have been started with a party and ended in tragedy. Others have begun with emotional and mental trauma translating into a repeated generational pattern.
In some communities, alcohol abuse was part of growing up. Some of our earliest memories include a loved one lashing out unprovoked. The first time we witnessed these acts stayed with us - often causing us as adults to focus more on the violence than on the problem. We grew up angry! The elders we depended on for our guidance were behaving in ways which would either become the template for our adult lives or force us to sever bonds permanently.
I spoke to a dear friend recently whose father died at a very young age, leaving her mom to raise 3 children alone. As sad as the loss was for all of them, there was a sense of relief that they were somehow freed from the burden.
Some troubling statistics include:
- 41.5% of men and 17.1% of women in South Africa reported current alcohol use.
- 25-50% of South African drinkers are classified as binge drinkers.
- 60 grams or more of pure alcohol in one sitting within a 30-day timespan is the amount of alcohol consumed by more than a quarter of South Africans who drink alcohol.
- 48% of South African drinkers binge drink.
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- 70% of high-school learners in Gauteng have been drunk.
- Between 29,000 and 62,000 deaths per year are caused by alcohol consumption.
- 13% of all deaths in South Africa are caused by alcohol?consumption.
But today, we are learning - as family members, community members and friends. Sound the call to spread awareness, break the silence and remove the stigma. Focus on the way forward and provide a platform of support and empathy.
Please listen to the following piece from an interview Hot 102.7FM.
#16people