ALCOHOLISM AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE SIGN OF BREAKDOWN IN THE SOCIAL FABRIC
“NOT for sale to persons under the age of 18”
This inscription is found on almost every bottle of alcoholic beverages in Zambia and it is common knowledge that it is illegal for persons below the recommended age.
However, most young people have decided to turn a blind eye to the law and are getting away with it by indulging in beer drinking.
Last week, a combined team of Lusaka City Council (LCC) police and State police apprehended over 100 minors for underage beer drinking and patronising bars and night clubs in Lusaka.
The operation was conducted in Emmasdale, Garden and Chipata compounds.
Minors as young as 11years old were picked up from bars in a drunken state between 21:00 hours and 01:00 hrs.
When asked how they started drinking, one teenager confessed to stealing his father’s beer in the fridge since the age of 9 and now, at 16, he was a heavy drinker.
“I started by collecting all the leftovers from the bottles my father would have left. It just started as a habit but now I want to quit yet the urge is so strong, I cannot,” he said.
Another teenager said peer pressure forced him to drink.
“I grew up hating beer. I never dreamt of drinking but one day my friends forced me to, saying it was the in-thing and there was nothing wrong with it. Eventually I complied.”
Gone are the days when it was taboo for girls to be seen drinking alcohol. They have now joined the trend and in some cases suffer severe consequences.
A 16 year old who was also arrested said drinking had become the norm when she gathers with her friends to have fun.
“We prefer Ciders because they are tasty and sweet. They help us to open up and spread our wings. When we go out as friends obviously beer is part of it,” she said.
Most of the parents of the arrested children lived with their children not knowing that they were taking alcohol.
One parent of a 17 year old minor said he only found out that his son was taking alcohol when he was called at the police station after the arrest.
The boy eventually admitted he had been drinking for five years.
Teachers in schools have also complained that most children who drink beer become hostile and aggressive.
A student teacher Wendy Hankope, said it was common for pupils to smuggle beer onto the school premises.
“During my attachment at a boarding school in Kitwe, I witnessed a lot of commotion caused by pupils when they are drunk. We had to call the police to intervene. The headmaster was left with no choice but to expel them from school,” Ms Hankope said.
Bars and Clubs have been blamed for selling beer to persons under 18 in violation of the Liquor Act.
Matero Ward 23 Councillor Annie Chinyanta, who has been in the forefront in fighting against underage drinking in her area said some of the children are visibly young but the bar attendants never quizzed them on their age.
“Some of these bars all they want is money, they don’t care about the age of the individual but they know selling alcohol to under-age people is illegal,” Ms Chinyanta said.
Mercy Mwanza, a Pyscho-Socio Counsellor said many factors had caused the increase of young drinkers in Zambia.
Ms Mwanza said alcoholism among young people was a sign of a breakdown in the social fabric.
“Most of these youths have resorted to alcohol to siphon out their frustration. Parents no longer have time to discuss problems faced by their children.
“Children turn to drinking to momentarily escape from problems while parents are too busy for their children. Some children can start drinking and go on for years without parents noticing it while living under the same roof,” she said.
She added that peer pressure has also contributed to the rise of under-age drinking and some youths resorted to drink so that they could fit within their peer groups.
The consequences of underage drinking can be frustrating and most young people live to regret for the rest of their lives.
One girl from Kanyama Compound said she was raped while drunk at in a bar and did not remember the person who raped her but is now pregnant.
Many girls face the same predicament as males take advantage of them when they are drunk.
Government is aware of the increase in the number of young drinkers and to help address the situation, an Alcohol Bill would be presented to Parliament in the next session.
According to Religious Affairs and National Guidance Minister Godfridah Sumaili, once enacted, the Bill would regulate alcohol consumption in the country especially by the youths.
Reverend Sumaili said underage drinking was unproductive and not only does it devastate homes but negatively retards national development.
“Underage drinking and excessive beer drinking among youths in the country is alarming, hence coming up with a piece of legislation to regulate drinking.
“Alcohol abuse is unproductive at home and the nation at large. Therefore, Government is contemplating coming up with a legislation to regulate this vice among youths,” Reverend Sumaili said.
She added that Government would work closely other stakeholders on the content of the bill.
She reaffirmed Government’s commitment to promoting good values and morals in young people in order to foster national development.
Reverend Sumaili noted that Zambia was a Christian nation therefore dignity should be respected, upheld in line with the values and principles enriched in the Constitution.
President Edgar Lungu during his recent address to the nation, emphasised the need to promote values and moral decay among the young people.
President Lungu expressed concern at the high levels of alcohol and substance abuse among young people which he noted had contributed to moral decay among young people.
He however, assured that his Government was making steady progress in strengthening the enforcement of the relevant laws and regulations so as to curb alcohol and substance abuse.
The fight against underage drinking would not be won by Government alone, other stakeholder also need to scale up their efforts.
During the launch of “the 18 plus say no to underage drinking campaign “in Lusaka last year, Zambian Breweries Country Director Jose Daniel Moran said stakeholders have a responsibility to help consumers make better choices and be aware of the harm alcohol can have if not consumed responsibly. It is the responsibility of all stakeholders to ensure that the youths under the age of 18 do not consume alcoholic beverages,” said, Mr Moran.
He emphasised that retailers and other adults who allowed easy access to alcohol to minors must be held accountable.
Mr Moran added that young people needed to be aware of the health implications of alcohol abuse, especially at an age when they were not prepared mentally nor physically to have these choices.
Undoubtedly, if all stakeholders scale up their efforts and relevant laws are strengthened, underage drinking will be a thing of the past in Zambia and the “Not for sale to persons under the age of 18” inscription will be a reality.
“During my attachment at a boarding school in Kitwe, I witnessed a lot of commotion caused by pupils when they are drunk. We had to call the police to intervene. The headmaster was left with no choice but to expel them from school.”