For some strange reason ‘alcohol stories’ in the media don’t seem to hold water.  It might be that the fact that we subsist in a society that is always busy organizing gatherings and drinking ‘our’ hearts out is central to the event, it makes it increasingly difficult to take data and narratives on alcohol consumption seriously. 

Even though I’m no nimble when it comes to drinking I’m not a bigot either and do understand that some people need a drink or two to sort out the week’s predicaments or maybe to overcome inhibitions and have a chivalrous conversation.  Or some would say that there is no fun without drinking a pint or two as they watch the team they support struggle with their game.  Drinking seems to be the ‘invisible and inseparable friend’ that many seem to carry around at key moments in their life. 

The recent address during the parliamentary adjournment by Dr Franco Mercieca MP appealing for stricter enforcement for underage drinking was timely.  Dr Mercieca rightly claimed that not enough enforcement is taking place thus allowing easily accessible and abusive consumption of alcohol for underage young people.

Whilst all of us seem to be relatively in agreement on this one, it still comes as a surprise that we hardly take cognizance of what the same government agency. Agenzija Sedqa has been stating all along and working tirelessly for during these last years, that is, to get through the message that our alcohol consumption is reaching perilous proportions, is on the increase, that young people have very easy access to alcohol, binge drinking is becoming normative and excessive alcohol consumption can lead to other ‘more staid’ addictions. 

To compound to this situation, there are few or hardly any controls in events like the festa, private and public parties and other gatherings that are acutely over-looking the fact that teenagers are consuming alcohol with increasing amounts even if legally they are under-age.

But this doesn’t just happen during parties. 

I dare anyone to send their son or daughter to the grocers to buy alcohol and see if the store keeper would stop or at least question the sale of that purchase.  The same applies in Paceville where young people are allowed to buy alcohol even if they are not of age in any amount they want, not to mention the obscene and astronomical prices attached to these drinks.  I still need to hear of any significant clamp down on this issue by the enforcement agencies, notably the police officers who roam Paceville with only enough resources to deal with serious bust-ups and nothing else. 

Whilst I am sure that the business community is pretty happy enjoying all the profits attached to this business, the reality is that we have amongst the highest level of consumption of alcohol in Europe, teenagers who are already guzzling alcohol in huge quantities and an environment that is essentially enticing binge drinking as a way of life.

Not to mention drink driving is as normal as it comes. 

We keep hearing of one accident after another, some with fatalities, because drivers would have had excessive alcohol intake - but it seems that as a society we are too frightened to admit to this.  Few if any breathalyzer tests are taking place and police are understaffed and unable to control the masses that conglomerate on week-ends, during feasts and other mass gatherings. 

I feel that legislators seem to be caught with their pants down on this one, maybe because they aren’t too keen on disrupting the business community that makes money in droves.

With the risk of sounding pessimistic and gloomy, the long-term effect of alcohol on society is increasingly worrying.  Alcohol can lead to serious social problems caused by the pathological transformation that happens in the brain.  Excessive and uncontrollable alcohol consumption as one could imagine leads to a number of potential criminal offences which can vary from rape to burglary, from drunk-driving to assault and from school truancy to suicide.  There are statistics that reveal that alcoholism is correlated to loss of employment and un-employability naturally leading to a dire financial situation that in turn shows the way to even more worrying consequences. 

This is a cultural issue we are faced with and we really need to start thinking what can be done to sort out this mess.

·         Probably we need to start with eradicating the mentality of having grandparents feeling proud of themselves because their grandchildren have managed to gulp in some beer or a little whisky during a BBQ or a family party.  

·         We need to create a safety parameter around party venues and night clubs and maybe forbid the sale of alcohol during Saturday night and Sunday night from grocery stores in the area. 

·         One might contemplate taking youth work to another echelon and introduce professional youth workers in key leisure points to advise and support young people.  These youth workers would have complete access to clubs.  When private parties are organized, granting permission needs to include having warranted youth workers paid for by the party organizers as part of the deal.

·         We also need to strengthen the alcohol outreach services of Agency Sedqa and other NGOs that are involved in this sector and compliment their intervention with strategic and on-going media campaigns. 

·         Above all we need to see an increase in the number of uniformed and undercover police in Paceville and at privately organized party venues. 

We can’t stick our heads in the sand any longer. 

The problem of excessive alcohol consumption is haunting and troubling our communities, it’s leading to the obliteration of families, it’s dropping the productivity at the work place and putting more and more people on welfare. 

Needless to say, the worse of them all is that we are witnessing one fatal traffic accident after another where young people die or get killed because we would not have done enough.

So there you go, the ‘who cares, let them belt a couple of drinks’ attitude needs to change.

Dr Andrew Azzopardi

Senior Lecturer, Department of Youth and Community Studies

Faculty for Social Wellbeing, University of Malta

&

Broadcaster - Ghandi xi Nghid 

www.andrewazzopardi.org