Dear Editor,
We are pleased to read from the October 21st Sunday Stabroek that “In the coming days, the Pan American Health Organization and World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), with input from the Public Health Ministry and stakeholders, will begin developing a policy for the prevention and control of use of alcohol in Guyana.”
Alcohol consumption is a serious public health challenge worldwide, including in our own Guyana. Although the level of alcohol consumption differs widely around the world, the burden of disease and death remains significant in most regions, with Europe and America having the highest alcohol attributable fractions at 6.5% and 5.6%, respectively. Recent evidence also indicates that alcohol consumption is now the world’s third largest risk factor for disease and disability; almost 4% of all deaths globally are attributed to alcohol.
Alcohol is the most commonly used psychoactive drug in both young people and adults in the world. Some of the factors contributing to alcohol consumption include the absence of alcohol policies, easy access to alcoholic drinks, and lack of implementation of a minimum drinking age.
It is widely known that some secondary school students do consume alcoholic drinks; this consumption could be due to their curiosity as adolescents, an irresistible urge, emotional disturbances such as anxiety, the subculture, and the influence of advertisements.
Alcohol consumption negatively affects human health across the lifespan. Previous studies show that alcohol consumption is associated with a burden of diseases such as cancer, pancreatitis, liver cirrhosis, tuberculosis, pneumonia, diabetes mellitus, alcohol use disorder, malignancies, psychiatric morbidity, and injury. Although 18 years of age is the legal limit for alcohol consumption per policy in many parts of the world, sociocultural influences seem to hinder strict adherence to this public health policy in our Guyanese society.
We welcome this project and wish it well and success!
Yours faithfully,
Rooplall Dudhnath
