ABSTRACT
Background: Alcohol consumption in the tribal communities is found to be rising, as Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) is easily accessible through state-run outlets. During the first coronavirus disease (COVID-19) lockdown, despite IMFL being non-available, there were not any reports of alcohol withdrawal among the tribal men who were enrolled in our substance abuse clinic. Methodology: This is a community-based, mixed-method study to document the changes during the lockdown in the drinking pattern and behavior of families and communities of men who consume alcohol. The quantitative part of the study was done by interviewing 45 alcohol-dependent men and documenting their alcohol use disorders identification test (AUDIT) scores during the lockdown. The qualitative part captured the changes in familial and social behavior. Focused group discussions (FGDs) were conducted among community members and leaders. In-depth interviews (IDs) were done among men with harmful drinking patterns and their spouses. Results: There was a significant reduction in the consumption of IMFL among the men interviewed as depicted by the low mean AUDIT score (16.42, P < 0.001). Trivial withdrawal symptoms were found among them (67%). Around 73.3% could access arrack. The community perceived that arrack was brewed and sold at a higher cost within days of lockdown. Familial conflicts reduced. Certain community leaders and members could proactively curb the brewing and selling of arrack. Conclusion: The study uniquely brought out in depth the information at the individual, familial, and community contexts. It is imperative to develop policies to protect indigenous populations by different rules governing the sales of alcohol.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Worldwide, hazardous use of alcohol is common among many cultures and societies and adversely impacts families and communities, with significant morbidity and mortality. Scheduled Tribes (STs) who are socially deprived and marginalised have higher rates of alcohol use. AIM: We attempted to determine the nature, prevalence, and risk factors associated with hazardous consumption of alcohol in the tribal community. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional study was conducted among adult male and permanent residents of Jawadhi hills. A total of 1200 men were interviewed. Study participants were chosen by Probability Proportionate to Size (PPS) sampling method. The questionnaire that documented socio-demographic characteristics and patterns of alcohol use was used. AUDIT tool was used to assess the hazardous use of Alcohol. Data were analysed using SPSS. RESULTS: Majority of the men were middle-aged, married, and were from lower socio-economic strata. A large proportion of men (65%) had a history of alcohol consumption in the last one year using one-year, of whom a quarter showed hazardous use (29%) and another quarter exhibited alcohol dependency (24%). Tobacco use, higher income and local alcohol production were found to be significant risk factors for Hazardous alcohol use. CONCLUSION: Alcohol consumption needs to be treated as a social problem and has to be tackled at the policy level. Population-based interventions, legislation, taxation, policies regarding the manufacture and sale of alcohol, are some of the ways to address this problem.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Alcohol use is common in many cultures. Excessive use of alcohol adversely impacts individuals, families and communities. Medicine, which uses biomedical models and perspectives, views alcohol dependence as a disease. Alcohol use and dependence are complex societal problems, which need to be viewed through multidisciplinary approaches and corrected by adopting intersectoral efforts involving local communities. METHODS: We used qualitative methods such as focus group discussions and in-depth interviews to document perspectives on alcohol use among a tribal community in southern India. We recorded traditional norms, changing patterns of use of alcohol and its consequences for individuals, families and the community. RESULTS: Eight focus group discussions and eleven in-depth interviews were conducted. Though consumption of alcohol is part of the local culture, changes in occupation and availability of alcohol has made its consumption a problem. The introduction and easy availability of Indian-made foreign liquor, which is stronger than the locally brewed variety, in government-run outlets has changed the culture of drinking at festivals to drinking more often. This leads to public fights, domestic violence and increasing mortality and morbidity due to road traffic incidents and ill health. The age of initiation into drinking has decreased. CONCLUSION: The introduction of non-traditional and commercial alcohol use has put a heavy price on tribal and rural people. Community-based interventions targeting young children and adolescents may pay more dividends than pursuing purely medical treatments for problem drinkers.
