25 years of politics of liquor prohibition: Intellectual approach (Part III)

Need of correction of 25 years of massive misconception of alcoholism as a sin or weakness

Dr. E. Renphamo Lotha, Research scholar, GSM

[dropcap]N[/dropcap]agaland has been witnessing a massive misconception of alcoholism as a sin or weakness ever since twenty five years. The press statement of the Nagaland Baptist Church Council on the 4th August, 2014 and others have clearly proved such wrong thinking and action involving all members of the society any exception. It must however be kept in mind that an alcoholic is not a sinner. He is not having any weakness either. He is simply a chronic patient of alcoholism. The World Health Organisation has clearly categorised alcoholism as a chronic disease like diabetes, cancer, drug addiction, smoking, HIV/AIDS etcetera. Hence, Nagas must now come out of such long misconcept of treating alcoholism as a sin or weakness. They must be able to treat alcoholism as a chronic disease plus social menace as well when violence is involved, car accidents take place and street fight erupts.For instance, to control such aforesaid similar disease, the Central Government has set up the National AIDS Control Organisation by an act followed with various activities-information, education, communication, treatment-ART, Counseling, rehabilitation, broadcasting, training-workshop, seminar, intervention etcetera which are undertaken with the collaboration with Non Governmental Organisation. Despite such comprehensive, holistic actions ever since 1999, through the Nagaland AIDS Control Society and the Nagaland Legislative Forum on HIV/AIDS, HIV/AIDS is continuing to increase in geometrical proportion with Nagaland becoming one of the topmost vulnerable State through sexual route, use of contaminated syringes etcetera. Same is the state of affairs in the case of alcoholism even after the enforcement of the Nagaland Total Liquor Prohibition Act, 1989. These two aforesaid case studies have clearly proved that diseases cannot be controlled or regulated by strict laws however stringent they may be as the Nagas experience today. The Americans, others, Indians in various states have experienced similar experiences. Hence, Nagas, though Christians in name can never expect that they will be on different footing as if Nagaland is a paradise.
Despite the aforesaid helpless situation, neither the Central nor the State has set up any Alcoholism Control Organisation (National Alcoholism Control Organisation or Nagaland Alcoholism Control Organisation) as in the case of National AIDS Control Organisation or Nagaland AIDS Control Organisation, to control the rapid spread of alcoholism in Nagaland in particular and other states in India in general. Let us wish and hope that the aforesaid organizations may be set up sooner or later.
Even if the Central or the State may not be able to set up the aforesaid organizations, still the Church and other Non Governmental Organisations are there to help themselves as the saying goes, “Self help is the best help”. Despite such universal understanding of self help on alcoholism, Nagas are always talking about the duty of the State without talking about their own undertaking. Under the aforesaid facts and circumstances, it is useless and baseless to accuse one another without controlling the chronic disease of alcoholism as a chronic disease and social menace. It is clear that Nagas are still ignoring the universal saying, “when you accuse others by one finger four fingers are pointing at you”. Taking this hard experience, if the church continues to accuse the Government by one finger, four of their fingers are pointing at them. Hence, the question is never blame game. Any blame multiply to thousand counter blame games without any solution. We are now talking about where to start with number one the starting point – that is who will start?
The crux of the questions is, “who will bell the cat?” Not only the Church, the Government but all right thinking Naga-citizens, individuals have a due share in the eradication of alcoholism. The Government is you and I, as the ‘democracy is the government of the people by the people and for the people” as defined by Abraham Lincoln.
Dear Nagas, let us wake up from our long sleep of 25 years of a waiting on the Nagaland Total Liquor Prohibition Act, 1989 to perform miracle. There is no miracle, no short cut to cure a chronic disease like alcoholism. Let us not curse the law as the proverb advice us, “don’t cure the darkness but light the candle”. Let us all join hands to eradicate the disease of alcoholism, liquor, wine by not touching them. So that alcoholism does not arise at all with no more blame game.
Nagaland today has been fully engulfed by the first of alcohol leading to massive alcoholism and alcohol related death and massive social problems which are directly related to the extreme use of alcohol which is now well known to all. Let us therefore determine to make Nagaland spirit filled land with the nine fruits of the holy spirit with the power of “unity is strength” to make Nagaland Christlike land and not Satanic land. May the Almighty God give us power to transform Nagaland into channel of blessings for India and the world in general.