Dear Editor,
A lack of understanding of the underlying cause of alcoholism may be the single most contributing factor accounting for its high prevalence in the Guyanese society. In this country, many misconceptions exist, about alcohol addiction and may be potential sources fueling this disease. Society at large, perceives addiction as a problem of the undisciplined not realizing it can happen to any one of us. Alcoholics are viewed as deliberately misusing alcohol and that they lack discipline in ending their drinking habits. To this end, they are treated poorly and with little or no empathy from society.
Editor, these perceptions originating from a lack of understanding of the underlying cause of alcoholism are wrong. Society needs to be informed so that we have the right attitude in helping the addict and in reducing the prevalence of this disease. Knowledge and insights into this disease will only foster the right attitudes in effectively handling it. These misconceptions have also essentially caused a lack of interest in developing programmes tailored in effectively addressing this problem. Although, alcohol addiction has been a perpetual problem with a high prevalence in the Guyanese society for many decades, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Human Services have severely fallen short of effectively handling this disease due to a lack of expertise among other probable causes.
Editor, indeed, alcoholism is not a choice. Alcoholism is a brain disease and which is a view overwhelmingly shared by the scientific community including: the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), the American Medical Association (AMA), the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) and the Canadian Society of Addiction Medicine (CSAM), just to name a few.
According to the scientific view of alcoholism, alcohol consumption can potentially result in marked changes in brain structures including: the frontal cortex, the mesolimbic drug reward pathway, memory and motivational circuitries and as well as their relevant neuro-chemical correlates. Once these brain related changes occur, voluntary control of alcohol use becomes disrupted and the phenomenon of alcohol dependence (addiction) ensues whereby the individual can no longer control their craving, impulse, obsession and compulsion for alcohol. The pathology of alcohol addiction resides in the brain.
The onset of addiction after the first drink varies from individual to individual. Brain alterations may result in many individuals, just after one drink. For many others, brain alterations may occur, only after repeated drinking. Yet for some fortunate others, significant brain alterations may never occur, even after repeated drinking.
To account for these differences in individual susceptibility of alcohol addiction, vulnerability factors such as genes, environment (poverty, stress, education, cultural values, mental health issues and peer pressure), age and gender are determinants of the onset of this disease. Editor, there is an urgent need to understand the underlying cause of this disease in the Guyanese society, as significant inroads desperately need to be made in reducing its incidence, especially since it is spiraling out control.
Yours faithfully,
Annie Baliram
