Excessive alcohol consumption could hinder MDGs, says EAC Civil Society platform

The East African Community Civil Society against alcohol abuse has warned that if nothing is done, alcohol abuse could hinder the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The warning was made during the recently concluded international conference on alcohol and drug use that took place in Kampala, Uganda.

According to the Regional Civil Society Body, seven out of the Eight Millennium Development Goals (MDG) are substantially hindered by heavy alcohol consumption that negatively affects them all.

International Evidence shows that alcohol is a cross-cutting risk factor in many areas of public health, as well social vices, from child health, non-communicable and communicable diseases including Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and HIV/AIDS, gender based violence and crimes, to economic and social development. These grossly hinder sustainable development of households, communities and societies.

In reference to MDG one which is the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, it has been found out that poverty is in different ways intensified by alcohol use.

“We see in communities throughout the East African Community (EAC) disastrous alcohol expenditure; the pattern is one where bread winners, in most cases men, divert meager family resources meant for food and other household needs to their alcohol habit due to chronic alcohol dependence,” say Civil Society activists in a statement.

“In addition, home brewed traditional alcoholic beverages mostly use ingredients that are common household food grains, such as maize, millet, sorghum and cassava.

Therefore, this practice depletes food supply at household and community levels. The ultimate consequences of these practices lead to food insufficiency, hunger and a poor diet in the family which in turn leads to avoidable illness especially for children.”

These activists say that alcoholism causes bad health to the consumer, hence dramatically reducing their chances of earning income for household use. Alcohol addiction also leads to excessive use of family resources to feed the addictive habit.

Alcoholism has various effects on other MDGs like the achievement of universal primary education, promotion gender equality and empowerment of women, reduction of child mortality, improving of maternal health, combating HIV/ AIDS, Malaria and TB and ensuring environmental sustainability.

At the conference, participants recommended that all concerned stake holders should act quickly to meaningfully involve Decision-makers on the local and regional level in policy making. They also called upon the keeping out the alcohol industries on alcohol policy making process.

They called for mass education of the public on the consequences of alcohol abuse using guidance of action recommended by the WHO Global Strategy to reduce harmful use of Alcohol.

The activists also called for the conducting of extensive research on alcohol in Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania to inform policy formulation.