New Delhi|Ekta Purohit
It is a myth that taking of 1 or 2 peg of alcohol once in a week or a month and is normal, It will directly affect the health and can cause liver damage too said Dr.Khandelwal, Prof. &Chief at National Drug Dependence Treatment Center (NDDTC)
He was speaking at a annual CME on substance use disorder at All India Institute of Medical Sciences.
The programme was organized by National Drug Dependence Treatment Center (NDDTC) and Department of Psychiatry of AIIMS.
Heavy Episodic Drinking (HED) refers taking of 6 pegs in time period of 2 hrs in a year can be the reason of liver damage. And person has to depend on medicines for rest of the life even after liver transplant. It is said that 5 pegs in males and 4pegs in females are unsafe for liver as told by Dr.S.K.Khandelwal.
The surveys shows there has been increase in the alcohol consumption in south east region countries and people aged 19-20 are attracted towards taking alcohol as Dr.Anju Dhawan Additional Prof.,NDDTC told. The survey report also mark out that children aged 13-14 are also taking alcohol and such cases increasing over the years.
WHO reported that 5 percent of deaths is occurred due to alcohol globally and 50 percent of all deaths is due to alcohol road traffic accident.
Further Dr.Khandelwal pointing on the ‘drunk and driving policy’ said “In our country the punishment and penalty is less compare to other countries and for this people are not taking it seriously.
A study of NDDTC found that alcohol taking percentage in males is 32 per cent and 2 per cent in females.
The laws for the consumption of alcohol is differ in states. It is a matter of state versus central issue. Our system is federal system so the discussion for what extent and what should be the parameters for a uniform solution have been discussed by the panel said Dr.Atul Ambekar, Additional Prof.NDDTC
He also said there is need of National alcohol control policy for our country.
