One sour apple spoils the whole
basket—Recently the city police have started stopping and checking
drivers of two wheelers and four wheelers for drinking and driving.
Although the measures taken by the police are in everyone’s interest, the
government has failed to put a limitation on the average unit of
alcohol an individual can drink and drive lawfully. But the truth is
there are some who abuse alcohol depriving other law abiding citizens
the liberty to enjoy a glass of good spirit once in a while.
Nepalis enjoy a drink every now and then. Like every culture, our culture is no different. In Nepal’s context, most of us are exposed to alcohol from a very young age. For example, in Newari culture, home brewed alcohol is used as a pure form of drink in any auspicious occasion. Home brewed alcohol is also a part of pure gifts which includes egg and other Newari dishes. There are no age and gender limitations to drink alcohol in many ethnic Nepali castes. Although alcohol has been accepted and integrated in our culture, many a time people abuse it. Often it leads to unpleasant consequences one usually regrets for the rest of their lives.
There are reasons to worry and raise awareness on drinking responsibly because alcohol, when abused, affects relationships negatively, causes diseases and road accidents, and often leads to addiction. Youths are most likely to abuse alcohol and drive, which leads to road accidents. According to www.lifeexpectancy.com, Nepal ranks 116th in alcohol related deaths. Although alcohol related road accidents were common throughout Nepal until this past month, there were no effective laws enforced on drinking and driving. The shops that sell alcohol are not regulated transparently and anyone can buy alcohol in Nepal. Although one of the giant retail stores, Bhatbhateni, has a sign stating it will not sell alcohol to underage girls and boys, I have never seen a cashier asking a customer his/her ID. The Nepal Government has done very little to raise public awareness on drinking responsibly. The government must regulate the stores and restaurants that sell alcohol and the sellers must be fined if caught selling alcohol to underage girls and boys.
I applaud the city police for doing its part but our law is flawed. Our law fails to clarify with the public the unit of alcohol that can be consumed by an individual when driving. I haven’t seen a single hoarding board or heard a radio advert or anything on TV alerting the public about the daily police checking and at the same time requesting the public to abide by the law. This kind of random act by the government enforcing rules and laws without alerting the public puts a lot of pressure to the citizens and the actual police staff who do the ground work. There are times when police themselves lack knowledge on social policing—police must act on morals and values and politely explain why it is a citizen’s duty to respect the law for drinking and driving.
Therefore raising awareness among the public is very important and a better solution to raising awareness on drinking responsibly would fall to the giant corporate sectors that produce and sell alcohol related products in Nepal. But even better would be if the corporate sectors worked together with the designated government departments to create and endorse Public Service Announcements (PSAs) on drinking responsibly should be widely broadcasted in national and state television channels. There is a need to send a clear and direct message to the public on drinking responsibly. The state has to acknowledge that higher alcohol consumption does not necessarily lead to road accidents, but how it is consumed matters more and accordingly, educate its citizens. That is why the government must take measures to pass appropriate laws and educate the public on how many units of alcohol is, in fact, drinking lawfully.
There should be a place where public can visit either physically or virtually to seek information on drinking responsibly and the laws regarding drinking and driving. This void can be filled by the alcohol production houses by developing fact sheets on alcohol units and its effects. The corporate sectors can also run a series of campaigns on drinking responsibly such as PSAs on print, radio and TV, sponsor youth clubs and productive events such as sports and drama—all endorsed by the Nepal Government.
But a large part of the responsibility lies with the individual’s choice and habit of consuming alcohol. An individual must understand the effects alcohol can have on him/her. Since alcohol is served in almost 99 per cent of the restaurants and parties, it depends entirely on an individual to drink responsibly. Drinking responsibly means knowing one’s limit and knowing how to and how often to consume alcohol. Drinking responsibly also means respecting the environment where one is drinking. Drinking alcohol should be purely social and it should help create positive vibes and build relationships—not otherwise.
http://www.ekantipur.com/the-kathmandu-post/2012/02/02/oped/boozing-it-down/231131.html
Nepalis enjoy a drink every now and then. Like every culture, our culture is no different. In Nepal’s context, most of us are exposed to alcohol from a very young age. For example, in Newari culture, home brewed alcohol is used as a pure form of drink in any auspicious occasion. Home brewed alcohol is also a part of pure gifts which includes egg and other Newari dishes. There are no age and gender limitations to drink alcohol in many ethnic Nepali castes. Although alcohol has been accepted and integrated in our culture, many a time people abuse it. Often it leads to unpleasant consequences one usually regrets for the rest of their lives.
There are reasons to worry and raise awareness on drinking responsibly because alcohol, when abused, affects relationships negatively, causes diseases and road accidents, and often leads to addiction. Youths are most likely to abuse alcohol and drive, which leads to road accidents. According to www.lifeexpectancy.com, Nepal ranks 116th in alcohol related deaths. Although alcohol related road accidents were common throughout Nepal until this past month, there were no effective laws enforced on drinking and driving. The shops that sell alcohol are not regulated transparently and anyone can buy alcohol in Nepal. Although one of the giant retail stores, Bhatbhateni, has a sign stating it will not sell alcohol to underage girls and boys, I have never seen a cashier asking a customer his/her ID. The Nepal Government has done very little to raise public awareness on drinking responsibly. The government must regulate the stores and restaurants that sell alcohol and the sellers must be fined if caught selling alcohol to underage girls and boys.
I applaud the city police for doing its part but our law is flawed. Our law fails to clarify with the public the unit of alcohol that can be consumed by an individual when driving. I haven’t seen a single hoarding board or heard a radio advert or anything on TV alerting the public about the daily police checking and at the same time requesting the public to abide by the law. This kind of random act by the government enforcing rules and laws without alerting the public puts a lot of pressure to the citizens and the actual police staff who do the ground work. There are times when police themselves lack knowledge on social policing—police must act on morals and values and politely explain why it is a citizen’s duty to respect the law for drinking and driving.
Therefore raising awareness among the public is very important and a better solution to raising awareness on drinking responsibly would fall to the giant corporate sectors that produce and sell alcohol related products in Nepal. But even better would be if the corporate sectors worked together with the designated government departments to create and endorse Public Service Announcements (PSAs) on drinking responsibly should be widely broadcasted in national and state television channels. There is a need to send a clear and direct message to the public on drinking responsibly. The state has to acknowledge that higher alcohol consumption does not necessarily lead to road accidents, but how it is consumed matters more and accordingly, educate its citizens. That is why the government must take measures to pass appropriate laws and educate the public on how many units of alcohol is, in fact, drinking lawfully.
There should be a place where public can visit either physically or virtually to seek information on drinking responsibly and the laws regarding drinking and driving. This void can be filled by the alcohol production houses by developing fact sheets on alcohol units and its effects. The corporate sectors can also run a series of campaigns on drinking responsibly such as PSAs on print, radio and TV, sponsor youth clubs and productive events such as sports and drama—all endorsed by the Nepal Government.
But a large part of the responsibility lies with the individual’s choice and habit of consuming alcohol. An individual must understand the effects alcohol can have on him/her. Since alcohol is served in almost 99 per cent of the restaurants and parties, it depends entirely on an individual to drink responsibly. Drinking responsibly means knowing one’s limit and knowing how to and how often to consume alcohol. Drinking responsibly also means respecting the environment where one is drinking. Drinking alcohol should be purely social and it should help create positive vibes and build relationships—not otherwise.
http://www.ekantipur.com/the-kathmandu-post/2012/02/02/oped/boozing-it-down/231131.html
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