Closing bars is not the answer for alcholol abuse Monday, 03 May 2010 20:11

There are frequent calls for banning alcohol aboard the national carrier and at major hotels, based on religious principles and Shariah. However, we cannot be like mothers who blame the mishaps of their children on other people, as if they have been corrupted. We cannot bury our heads in the sand and blame others, as if without them the situation would be better off, without blaming those who search for drops of it regardless of how difficult it may be to access it.

What comes to my mind is an Islamic country that has banned alcohol on its land since the dawn of time, but it is filled with those who are addicted to it. Nothing succeeded in eradicating their addiction; not even criminal punishment. Moreover, that which is prohibited is desired. If we are unable to reform those we love who are victims of addiction, then how can we expect the country to spare our loved ones from the same thing? That is the question for everyone who thinks that permitting the consumption of alcohol within the country is the reason that their children abuse it.

The truth is that if they desire alcohol, they will find it regardless of whether it is permissible or not, and know the means of accessing it, just as they did before the growth of the expatriate population, and before the flexibility in the laws allowing for the consumption of alcohol in particular places.

Alcohol abuse, before it becomes an addiction, is a psychological issue and struggle for the individual in question. It is a means of escaping reality, defying space and time, and forgetting burdens and pain.

Western countries were fostered under church blessings with wine, which was also produced by churches, it is part of the culture, heritage, and the economy. Yet even these countries suffer from alcohol abuse and know when the line is crossed that transforms wine into an instrument for the destruction of people and communities. There are countless murders conducted by those under the influence, and victims of drunk driving accidents, and other criminal activity due to alcoholism and incoherence.

Alcoholism poses a threat to the security and safety of the community and its members; physically and psychologically. It has been a major cause in breaking up families, and transforming active people into addicts that are isolated from public life.

Based on these factors, rehabilitation clinics have been established for people because the reason for their addiction does not lie in the availability of alcohol, but within their souls that yearn  for treatment. Even in the Western countries described above, some go beyond entertaining the drink socially on certain occasions, but become consumed by the alcohol as a means for escaping reality.

The problem of alcoholics is not about the accessibility of alcohol or legalization of its sale, but the presence of psychological problems motivating them to drink themselves into oblivion, turning alcohol into a goal and necessity in and of itself. They are haunted with tragedies of the past, and abuse alcohol to make peace with it.

If those who abuse it have faith and determination in overcoming addiction, they will be able to triumph obstacles in their path. If members of the community who are disturbed by the existence of the permissibility of selling alcoholic beverages truly believe in the power of self-restraint of their loved ones, then they will rest in knowing that consuming or abusing alcohol does not rely on the presence or availability of bars.

It is hoped that one day people will avoid all that is harmful to their minds, bodies, and souls, but the answer lies not in banning them but from reaching their core in the very foundations driving them to abuse themselves.

Addressing the causes is the best solution to the eradication of the problem, and providing psychological support and treatment to those who need it. Rather than marginalisation, encouraging reconciliation with oneself first and then others will strengthen one’s ability to cope with frustrations and overcoming obstacles.

Awareness, understanding, and self conviction in overcoming problems of addiction are the means to conquering its personal and social repercussions.

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