Here’s HOPE for Alcohol-Dependants during the lockdown
Bengaluru: In mid-April, a brother and his sister (in their 30’s’)’ gulped bottles of ‘Alcohol-based sanitizers and died even before medical help could reach them. With liquor shops shut during this extended lockdown, media reports in Karnataka are rife with incidents of desperate alcohol-dependants experiencing dreadful withdrawal symptoms ranging from wife-beating (one even killed his wife in a state of insanity), many leaving home for long days in desperate search for a drink, scuttling through nooks and corners to find ‘hideous sellers’ in street corners, slums and apartments. .
Cheap Indian made liquor (IML) tetra packs normally priced 75-80 rupees are sold clandestinely at Rupees 500 and more, the police reported after many crackdown operations. A funny twist in this desperation is that many liquor shops and bars were broken into and liquor cartons carried away with the vandals leaving behind money in the shop’s lockers in many parts of Bangalore urban and rural, the police reported.
Sadly, many Alcoholics have even committed suicide.
NIMHANS ( National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro- Science informed Media persons here that cases of Alcoholics with acute withdrawal symptoms have tripled since the lockdown. Thankfully, many are being treated and recovering. Research tells us that one among 10 drinkers becomes Alcoholic. Obviously nobody wants to be that ONE. Psychiatrists and other medical health personnel, including trained counselors are rendering much help in co-ordination with NGOs and rehab centres.
Some Psychiatrists have also seen the lockdown as a positive outcome as a period of 30 days of absolute abstinence with some medication can detoxify the patience easily. Clinical Psychologist Priya Mendez quoting the usual slogan for recovered alcoholics ‘the first drink does the damage’ fears “When the shops open-up again, there’s a high possibility of the temptation to grab a drink and that would lead to a serious relapse”. Avoiding social gatherings where liquor is served or any other proximity to liquor is one safe way to avoid going into a relapse, she says.
Help is close at hand. Thanks to project called Eco Link Recovery, a movement that is garnering help of support-groups and medical professionals and therapists, many victims of alcoholism are being helped. The movement is requesting people to partner together. Those desiring to join-in can log on to :
www.ecolinkrecovery.com/recovery-online. Recovery Online is an initiative under Ecolink Institute of Well-being & Ecolink Recovery Homes, Mangaluru headed by Thomas Scaria.
For details and assistance Contact: Ronnie Thomas, Ecolink Recovery Homes: +91 8073168164 /7676529017,or Thomas: +919448327209: Email: ELRecoveryonline@gmail.com
‘The ‘Stay-Home Stay-Safe’ slogan rings in our ears amidst the Covid pandemeic. Could we also ‘ Stay-Away’ from? (You know what).
by : Fr. Adolf Washington, Archbishop’s House, Bengaluru