Nothing beats a glass of brandy at the end of a long and tiresome day at work! One of the chief ingredients of parties throughout the world, since time immemorial, alcohol has been an integral part of humanity for the last 10000 years. Chemically known as Ethanol, it is the only member in the alcohol family that is portable. The other members such as Butanol and Methanol are used as combustible fuels in vehicles and homes (LPG, Petrol, Diesel,etc.). So what does alcohol do to the human body? It primarily affects the brain and the central nervous system by releasing a neurotransmitter called Y-aminobutyric acid. The result: Euphoria, decreased anxiety, impairment of body motor skills and memory. Abuse of alcohol leads to both short-term and long-term effects. The short-term effects are dizziness, nausea,and vomiting. The long-term effects include damage to the liver, heart, brain and an elevated risk of cancer.
The war against alcohol abuse:
Alcohol is the cause of various social problems such as driving accidents, sexual assaults, domestic violence. Such is the destructive effect of alcohol that its sale has been banned in countries such as Iran, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, to name a few. Alcohol Detox center has often been perceived as a place for tough treatments for addicts where they are reduced to prisoners doing jail time. Contrary to this, they are like group discussions where people from all walks of life commune together to share their experience on alcohol abuse and withdrawal. The National Toll-free helpline for Alcohol deaddiction initiated by Ministry for Social Empowerment in January 2015 has now started transferring the calls to affiliated hospitals since November 2017. This ensures speedy diagnosis and recovery options for alcoholics. The treatment at Alcohol Detox centerinvolves a two-prong therapy: Psychological and Pharmacological. The psychological therapy includes measures such as motivational interviewing, family therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy. The Pharmacological aspect involves treatment using an opioid therapy that helps to reduce the body dependency upon psychoactive substances such as alcohol and drugs.
The National Toll-free helpline is one of the feathers added by India in its cap against the war on substance addiction. Social platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter have helped to pass the evils of alcohol addiction to every individual in the country. It is believed that Knowledge is power. No wonder, we see the change in public opinion now. The road against alcohol deaddiction may be long, but nothing beats the vision of a healthy life, free of ailments. After all in the words of Martin Luther King Jr, “One can accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”
