Stop alcohol abuse

ONE does not have to look far to see that the culture of drinking with no control and respect and responsibility is destroying Papua New Guinea.
What many do not realise is that when you drink alcohol, you don’t digest alcohol.
It passes quickly into your bloodstream and travels to every part of your body.
Alcohol affects your brain first, then your kidneys, lungs and liver.
Alcohol’s impact on your body starts from the moment you take your first sip.
While an occasional glass of wine with dinner isn’t a cause for concern, the cumulative effects of drinking wine, beer, or spirits can take its toll.
Alcohol consumption in public is supposed to be illegal unfortunately this behaviour is becoming a norm right throughout the country. Police in the National Capital District reported on Saturday that they received reports and attended to drunk and disorderly conduct incidents, leading to fights since Friday.
Police said majority of this is related to legalised, cheap high percentage alcohol being sold.
Then various communities throughout the Central reported a surge in drunk and disorderly behaviour over the Christmas and New Year period.
Central police commander Supt John Midi said alcohol and drug abuses remain a major concern for communities across Central and the authorities.
Over in Madang, most of the fights reported were caused by drunkards citing cheap alcohol as a contributing to social problems.
Madang commander acting Supt Mazuc Rubiang, like his colleague in Central, said the sale and consumption of cheap alcohol is a concern.
“The authorities need to urgently address the issue of cheap sales of liquor,” acting Supt Rubiang said.
It was observed during the night of the New Year that there were cases of breaking empty bottles on major roads.
We share with you extracts from Dr Lawrence Sause from the University of Papua New Guinea on a Facebook commentary from last year on the need to break the culture of alcohol and pleasure with no responsibility in Papua New Guinea.
Young men and women, even starting in schools, are sucked into this culture.
Parents and especially the men and neighbours help to cultivate this culture of drinking by abusing alcohol themselves.
Generations of young men, seeing what their fathers do, drink with no end in sight.
No job, no helping out, no responsibility, nothing.
Many get married with no means of supporting their wives and kids and have to depend on their parents to raise their family.
Many more turn to violent crime perpetuated by abusing alcohol.
We concur with Dr Sause that we are creating a generation of good-for-nothing alcohol abusers and pleasure seekers with no responsibility to themselves, their families, their communities and their country.
Like we have always been advocating, it starts at home in the family.
Children should be raised well, parents should invest in their education and proper upbringing and don’t abuse alcohol at home.
Alcohol abuse is a contentious issue that poses many challenges for our society.
Alcohol abuse leads to public disorder, domestic violence, rape, fist fights, road accidents, deaths, medical complications, psychological problems, loss of income, creating dependency burden, and many other problems, some even unimaginable.
One just has to read in the newspapers or witness in your neighbourhood that alcohol abuse is uncontrollable and beyond the ability and capacity of the government or the authorities to deal with.
We agree with Dr Sause that, we must take back our generation of young men and women or else we are doomed as a society.