Alcoholics take desperate measures in TN, some seek professional help

Closure of TASMAC shops that sell liquor in Tamil Nadu have so far claimed at least six lives with habitual drinkers resorting to desperate measures to get their daily dose. From aftershave lotion to varnish, alcoholics have laid their hands on everything that came their way as an alternative to liquor and mixed them with cold drinks.

Six people – three from Pudukkottai and as many from Chengalpattu – died in the past week by consuming aftershave lotion and varnish as they were unable to find liquor anywhere due to the nationwide lockdown. Tamil Nadu is one of the states with the highest alcohol consumption and the government-owned TASMAC has monopoly in liquor distribution and sales.

Though the government has publicised helpline numbers district-wise for those with alcohol withdrawal symptoms to contact and get psychological help, the efforts aren’t enough to help alcoholics who seem to get desperate every passing day. Private de-addiction centres like Mindzone and Tamil Nadu Association of Clinical Psychologists (TNACP) have also offered free psychological support for alcoholics and those suffering from depression in times of COVID-19.

Measures not enough

Dr V Sunil Kumar, a clinical psychologist and founder of Mindzone, a private de-addiction centre here, feels the government should have taken the aftereffects into consideration before closing liquor shops.

“Having said that, I should also say there are no major guidelines on how to deal with this pandemic. The government shuts the liquor shops keeping in mind the social distance factor because no one really knows the full impact of COVID-19. But the major problem is the lack of awareness that alcoholism is also a disease and that it can be cured like any other illness. It is due to lack of realisation that people resort to desperate measures,” he told DH.

Not just the government helpline, but private deaddiction centres have also reported a spike in the number of habitual drinkers seeking help to overcome the situation. They also receive a “good number” of calls from people who are unable to handle loneliness and boredom due to confinement.

“We have taken into consideration the issues faced by alcoholics and placed counsellors at all district control rooms. The District Mental Health Programme has arranged for these counsellors who offer necessary help to those who call them. It is not just alcoholics who call, but also people who are worried about what would happen,” K Senthil Raj, Mission Director, National Health Mission, Tamil Nadu, told DH.

Why alcoholics turn desperate?

Explaining further, Dr Sunil Kumar said regular consumption of alcohol brings in a permanent change in one’s brain and it is the brain that asks for alcohol and not the mind. “People develop bodily changes like tremors, change in sleep pattern and this is when they get desperate and look for alternatives. Alcohol is closely linked with crime, domestic violence, mental illness and other medical complications,” he added.

“People should be made aware that medical treatment is available for alcoholism and there is no stigma attached to it,” says KNS Varadan, founder of Freedom Care, a de-addiction centre in Chennai. “People don’t understand it is a disease and they fear getting treated due to social stigma and self-stigmatisation. The government should create more awareness about alcoholism and bring people to deaddiction centres,” Varadan said.

He also feels the lockdown period where liquor shops are closed is the “right time” for the governments to reduce the number of outlets and timings, though Varadan says he is not in favour of prohibition. “Measures, like reducing the number of shops, restricting the timings to just about five hours a day and focussing on long-term rehabilitation centres would go a long way in addressing the problem,” he said.

Increase in the number of calls

Besides those with alcohol withdrawal symptoms, people, especially women and youngsters, have been dialing numbers publicised by the government and TNACP seeking professional help to overcome coronavirus-related fear.

“There is an increase in the number of calls we get. Apart from habitual drinkers, we get calls from youngsters who feel stressed about COVID-19. Since the disease is new, people are worried about its aftereffects. People are clueless as to deal with the disease and they seek professional help,” Dr Sunil Kumar said.