Alcohol Control Series 2

CONTENTS

• PREFACE
  
• INTRODUCTION
  
• ALCOHOL: WHAT INFLUENCES ITS USE
  
• PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION
  
  • The Alcohol Industry
    
  • World Trade Organization, Globalization, Liberalization andAlcohol
    
  • Promotion and Sale of Alcohol
    
• ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION
  • Spectrum of Alcohol Use
    
  • Prevalence of Alcohol Use
    
  • Abstinence
    
  • Drinking Patterns
    
• ALCOHOL USE: WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES?
  • Immediate Effects
    
  • Long-term Effects
    
• ALCOHOL-RELATED PROBLEMS
  • Impact on the Individual
    
  • Impact on the Family
    
  • Impact on Society
    
• ECONOMIC IMPACT OF ALCOHOL ON SOCIETY: GAINING LESS OR LOSING MORE?
  • Data from Western Countries
    
  • Regional Data
    
• WHAT CAN BE DONE?
• The International Evidence for Intervention
  
• The Regional Evidence for Intervention: What Worked and
  What Has Not Worked
  
• WHO SEARO INITIATIVES
  
• CONCLUSION
  
• REFERENCES
  
• ANNEXURE

South-East Asian societies are in transition amidst changing states of growth and development due to macro and micro level influences. The shift from agrarian to modern societies has led to people changing emotionally, culturally and socially. This influences every sphere of their lives. The impact of globalization, industrialization, migration and media invasion into the lives of people is noticeable and palpable. People are embracing new lifestyles, cultures and practices, giving rise to new problems such as the increasing use and abuse of alcohol. Governments, representing their citizens, in the pursuit of socio-economic growth and
development, are also reacting to these changing global and national influences.

Alcohol is a psychoactive substance which has an effect on people in multifarious ways. It acts primarily on the central nervous system, both immediately and over a period of time, and affects, both directly and indirectly, almost all body organs and systems. Alcoholic beverages contain ethyl alcohol (ethanol), produced as a result of the fermentation of starch which includes grains (beer), vegetables (vodka) and fruits (wine). Ethyl alcohol has no taste and is a colourless liquid. Each alcoholic beverage is different in taste and the way it looks, due to the presence of other substances which are added deliberately or accidentally. The manufacturing process also gives a distinct flavour and colour to the alcoholic beverage. Alcohol is absorbed directly into the bloodstream through the walls of the stomach and the small intestine, and is then quickly distributed to all parts of the body. All alcohol that is consumed enters the bloodstream and then goes to the brain. It takes only a few minutes for alcohol to reach the brain and begin to act. The liver is the key organ digesting alcohol, and on an average it takes about one hour for the liver to completely digest a standard alcoholic drink (Benegal, 2001).