Non-availability of alcohol claims 9 lives in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram: In more than 100 hours since Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the 21-day nationwide lockdown to check the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, Kerala has seen nine deaths not due to the infection but because of the non-availability of alcohol.

These include seven cases of suicide, one cardiac arrest, and one who died after consuming aftershave lotion.

The southern State with 170 COVID-19 cases had reported only a single death caused by the virus till Sunday. But the closure of all liquor outlets, including bars, hotels and toddy shops, has brought a different sort of tragedy, according to News18 report.

Police said the non-availability of alcohol is the reason behind the suicides of Sanoj from Thrissur and Murali from Kochi (both reported on Friday), and Vijil from Kannur, Biju and Suresh from Kollam and Vasu of Kochi (all on Saturday) and Krishnan Kutty from Thiruvananthapuram (reported on Sunday).

A 46-year-old man who jumped from a building for the same reason on Sunday is undergoing treatment at a government hospital.

Nowshad from Kayamkulam lost his life on Saturday after he consumed shaving lotion when liquor was unavailable, while Muraleedharan Achary from Kollam died on Sunday of cardiac arrest when he couldn't find a bottle of alcohol.

"According to the Kerala Mental Health Survey, 2018, there are about 50,000 men suffering from alcohol-related problems.

Moreover, nearly 10,000 to 15,000 of them may develop serious problems like alcohol withdrawal fits, hallucinations and depression. The number of deaths in a couple of days endorses the projections available from the survey," said Dr CJ John, a senior psychiatrist.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday said those who could not do without liquor daily would soon have the opportunity to avail themselves of a fixed quota of legal alcohol from the Excise Department, with a medical testimonial from a qualified doctor.

"The ban on the sale of liquor during the lockdown is creating a host of social problems in the state," he said.

According to Dr John, a doctor can only indicate in a certificate that a person is suffering from alcohol dependency and is at a high risk of alcohol withdrawal symptom and has been suggested a proper treatment of this condition.

He also has been motivated to use this period to get out of alcoholism. "It is the government to decide what to do with this prescription," said Dr John.

The Kerala Mental Health Survey says, "We have a more accurate data after looking at the number of people who may require inpatient treatment.

The 'National Survey on Extent and Patterns of Substance Use in India' gave a current prevalence of alcohol dependence for Kerala for the year when the survey was conducted (2018) at 0.6%.

The projected population for Kerala for 2020 is 3.47 crore. So, the actual number of alcohol-dependent individuals will come to around 2,08,200."