Over Drinking: A Social Menace

By Anubhav Das:

Its 2 am in the night; a time when most people are either in a deep slumber or engaged in some other personal activities, mostly studies. But a loud shout in the neighbourhood jolts you awake. It’s nothing but just another lunatic from next door who has drunk a lot and is feeling very warm now!

The above description is not confined to any particular locality but is now a common phenomenon that can be observed anywhere across all metropolitans. The issue of alcoholism or over-drinking has more passive victims than the active ones. Alcoholism can be defined as a condition in which the individual has lost control over his alcohol intake so that he is constantly unable to refrain from drinking once he begins. And that failure in refraining from drinking is what results him in indulging in unsocial behaviour. A person who is out of his own control is a danger to others. Many a times, it results in unreasonable fights across the streets and adverse consequences thereafter.

The residents in these cases face a lot of problem. The worst part is that in spite of knowing the problem, any attempt made in this regard is futile as the person is out of any control of any sort and anybody who tries to calm him down is most likely to face his wrath. In a similar incident in my neighborhood, one such fight resulted in an open firing in the society which caused severe casualties. Drinking in itself is condemned and even banned in public places due to this reason but for some of the so-called “Delightfully high” fellows, the law is merely meant to be broken. In these circumstances, the authorities also are of little help as the issues of these measures are of ‘less concern’ according to their parameters. But for some, it is very serious as it hampers their social life to a great extent. It is incredible how alcohol turns a socially respectable man into an insane and dangerous creature who is a threat to the very existence of a peaceful society.

This issue is something which is felt by all, but somehow has been raised by none. Maybe due to the ambiguousness of its very nature of existence or due to some other reason that is out of my horizon, but I seriously believe that it should be taken care of in a more serious manner by the authorities and by the society as whole. Anybody who is found responsible for causing mayhem in the society because of over-drinking should be sternly punished. Drinking in the first place itself is bad but if your drinking habit is causing an issue to others then it is even worse. In an appeal to all those who are reading this article, I would like to say that I don’t have any issue with anybody drinking alcohol, my focus is on the after-effects of drinking it excessively and getting out of control. So next time when you visit a bar, please make sure that you drink within your limit and do not cause any havoc in the life of others. Always remember that excess of everything is bad.