Coil: Struggling with my alcohol problems

by Vidyaratha Kissoon

I stopped drinking to deal with my alcohol problems. It makes sense, that if there is a problem then the source of the problem should be removed. It has been about 20 years or so since I have stopped drinking alcohol. The problem I had was that I would be drinking and thinking of the women who told me about the violence they deal with from drunk men, and that if alcohol was not there, their lives would be better.

There is no statistical correlation though between domestic violence and alcohol use as there are people who drink who are not abusive , and people who do not drink who are abusive. The reality though for many people is that in their experience of violence, there is alcohol fuelling it.

It became a problem for me to talk about domestic violence and removing alcohol. I stopped drinking to deal with this alcohol problem. I stopped drinking because I could not tell young people not to drink, or wait until they were 18 , while I was drinking.

It has not made any difference though as alcohol fuelled violence continues.

I joined the ranks of notable people like Adolf Hitler and Donald Trump. Mr Trump apparently does not drink. though like some other teetotallers , he has invested in marketing alcohol.

I could have continued drinking moderately. Except that the people I know who drank alcohol before creating a violent environment , drank moderately.

In 2009, the PPP administration had an alcohol in moderation campaign. Guysuco was involved – $30 million worth of promotion of moderate drinking. There were concerns about worker safety, absenteeism etc.

The PPP probably had their own ways of measuring success. Maybe Guyana’s alcohol problems would have been worse than now.

In December 2015, President Granger promised actions on alcohol abuse. He must have been overwhelmed, as are many other persons dealing with alcohol problems.

There has been no significant shift in leadership to challenge the culture of alcohol consumption. The Minister of Public Health said they are targeting alcohol abuse, but maybe in quiet ways that nobody has noticed.

I stopped drinking because it was easier to deal with the alcohol problem of the blurred spectrum between use and abuse. I know transitioned easily from harmless use to harmful use and there was no holding back.

According to PAHO/WHO,

• Alcohol consumption in the Americas is approximately 40% greater than the global average.
• In 2000 alcohol was the most important risk to health in low and middle income countries in the Americas.  It was second in the developed countries of the Americas.  Illicit drugs ranked 8th among the 10 leading risk factors for the region.

• The average drinking pattern of adults in the majority of countries in the Americas is hazardous to health.

This is good news for the alcohol industry. A man who drinks showed me an advertisement for a popular night spot which had a game to see how much people could drink.

Two men with PhDs, one of them has more than one, told me I wrote a nice letter on alcohol recently. 

The letter was about the children who are drinking. In Guyana, many people do not bother with the age of drinking which is 18 years (or 16 if you are with family).

One of the men asked about what I would suggest as solutions. I said that getting people to stop drinking alcohol might help.

He disagreed with me – he wanted me to work on a campaign of moderation.

The other man with more than one PhD had similar views. He has paused drinking to deal with some health issues. He said that I was unreasonable to insist that people should stop drinking and to inflict my opinion on others. He is probably right, the man of science. Tthere is no evidence that anyone anywhere who aims to ‘be the change they wish to see in the world’ succeeds.

Governments around the world have imposed their opinions on no smoking and the dangers of tobacco. It is possible now to get drunk in spaces where people will not smoke.

The man is a scientist so I accept that I am unreasonable to suggest that since moderation has not worked, then maybe people might just want to stop drinking alcohol.

PAHO/WHO has a plan of action which the regional Governments to reduce harmful use of alcohol.

The plan has many action points which might be relevant to Guyana.

It does not include any reference to encouraging people to stop drinking.

In 2011, the Government partnered with the alcohol industry to pull of a public event aimed at empowering women. Liquor was going to be on sale and the then Minister had no problem with alcohol sales at a public event. Andaiye wrote this in response :-

“ Everyone who spends time with women who live with or die from violence committed by men knows – whatever research findings to the contrary anyone dregs up – that whatever causes male violence against women, alcohol often fuels it.

What this means is that all these public events we organize to celebrate ourselves whether as women or youth or on the basis of our race/ethnicity should be alcohol free both to make a point to the producers and sellers of alcohol, and to reduce the likelihood that the moments of celebration will be followed – somewhere in Guyana – by violence stoked by alcohol.”

In 2014, Sherlina Nageer wrote about being greeted with alcoholic beverages at the CJIA.

Another man with a PhD introduced me to the Zapatista movement. He told me he stopped drinking in solidarity with the Zapatistas, especially the women who had worked for a ban on alcohol to reduce violence. The stories are told in Compañeras: Zapatista Women’s Stories by Hilary Klein. 

“When the proposed Zapatista law to ban alcohol was presented and we discussed it in each community, women spoke up. We said that alcohol creates many problems. The men who drank did not like women voicing an opinion about alcohol. They didn’t want us to say anything. But we were very clear about the problems caused by alcohol. That’s why the law was approved, because so many women in so many villages didn’t want the men to be drinking.”

The women told stories of struggling afterwards as it was difficult. They noticed changes, there was more money for families and less violence, especially at public entertainment events.

In India, women have called for bans on alcohol in different states. The most recent state Bihar, is where the ancestors many Guyanese have originated. The state claims a reduction in crime rate and the women have claimed , like the Zapatista women, a reduction in violence and more money in the home. The state government lost revenues as they were involved in the sale of alcohol.

A ban on alcohol makes no sense in Guyana. There are already failures to regulate the sales of legally made alcohol. A thriving underground economy would no doubt emerge.

I stopped drinking so that I did not have to deal with the problem of banning alcohol sales. I figured if there is no money to be made from me, the sellers would find other ways of making money.

The man who introduced me to the Zapatista movement was relieved when I told him that we would go to a venue which did not sell alcohol. One of the discussions around the capitalism of alcohol is that alcohol makes money. Well meaning NGOs and organisations which want to do work to counter the problems of alcohol are encouraged to use the money from alcohol – ‘bad money to do good things’ .

The marketing is aggressive. One or two people who consume alcohol were surprised at the alcohol campaign at a recent sports events .

In Guyana, there are a few or no places in some parts, which do not sell alcohol. I have started seeking those places, often Muslim owned, when possible to contribute to their success. An article in the UK Guardian tells of the opening of bars which do not sell alcohol.

I am conscious that I benefit from sales of alcohol. This article will be paid for with, probably a small part of proceeds of alcohol sales, and the public services I consume are paid , even if in a small part by taxes from the alcohol industry.

In Guyana, the alcohol industry does not regulate itself. It profits when alcohol is consumed harmfully or when minors or others purchase and drink it. There was one brief attempt by one company to stop sales to children, but I imagine they realised that the bottom line would be affected and they stopped.

Author Roberto Saviano has written about how cocaine, is the purest capitalist enterprise. I think that the other drug , alcohol in Guyana is an example of capitalist enterprise.

The sales are pervasive. The Hindu Wedding House is famed for liquor and loud music. The Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha was mocked for trying to stop bars at Hindu weddings.

Non-Hindus especially were horrified at the GHDS call as it seemed an end to the fun. One man asked me “You ever hear anybody get chop up or kill at black people wedding house, is only coolie people does gat them thing?” Maybe there has been violence at the weddings of non Hindus.

A Pandit told me of his struggles. He turned up to perform a wedding after having discussed the ‘no bar’ idea and getting the agreement of the family . To his horro, there was a bar. He left the venue until the bar was dismantled. In another instance, the neighbours set up the bar much to the dismay of the family who did not want alcohol. There was no feeling that inviting the police would have solved the problem. It is easy for anyone to get temporary liquor permits. In another instance, the family selected another pandit who had no problem with alcohol consumption.

Many pandits do not have a problem with alcohol consumption and as part of Hindu diversity, they say nothing or prefer to focus on things like the correct dates for festivals.

Other religious organisations which prohibit alcohol consumption are concerned about how the culture seeps in – especially at weddings. They tend to be quiet about alcohol though because of the culture.

It is easier to get vex about gay rights and things like that.

Most of the people who I know are in favour of gay rights drink alcohol.

Many of the people I know who don’t drink and are concerned about alcohol consumption are horrified by things like gay marriage.

Other people who do not drink alcohol are quiet about it. I check my social media feed and I see that there is more promotion of alcohol consumption , especially among young people.

Those that do not drink though, are scared to show their selfies with passion fruit juice having a wild time, even though they quietly tell me that they do enjoy themselves.

I stopped drinking to solve my alcohol problems. . The struggles continue.

Persons who are distressed, fed up, frustrated about the drinking habits of their loved ones can contact

Serenity Seekers

Al-Anon Family Group

Tel  Nicky 600-0832 , Joanne 619-4835

The Guyana Inter-agency Suicide Helpline operates 24 hours, and is organised by the Guyana Police Force.

Telephone -223-0001, 223-0009, 223-0818

Cellphone – 600-7896 (toll free from Digicel phones), 623-4444