COVID-19

Karnataka

Untitled Carousel Alcohol withdrawal cases on the rise According to superintendent Dr Uma Shankar, nearly 100 such cases were reported at the Institute of Mental Health in Erragadda on Monday alone.

The ban of liquor sales has resulted in three deaths in Karnataka;has also claimed 3 so farFor some, it’s an emergency greater than the COVID-19 crisis that’s staring at us in the face.With thegovernment ordering a complete shutdown of liquor shops last week, as the state went into a complete lockdown, many people were shocked. Many didn’t think it would lead to some tragic repercussions.Four people have died by suicide, two in Dakshina Kannada, one in Bidar and one in Tumakuru, so far due to the complete ban on liquor in the State.It’s not just Karnataka. But the ban in many states in India has even led veteran actor Rishi Kapoor to tweet: “Think. Government should for sometime in the evening open to all licensed liquor stores. Don’t get me wrong. Man will be at home only what with all this depression, uncertainty around. Cops, doctors, civilians etc... need some release. Black mein to sell ho hi raha hai. ( cont. 2) State governments desperately need the money from the excise. Frustration should not add up with depression. As it is pee to rahe hain legalize kar do no hypocrisy. My thoughts.” (sic)It’s no joke say medical professionals. As do social drinkers who want to wind down for the day with their favourite tipple. “The majority of people will experience mild to moderate withdrawals. A small proportion will experience severe alcoholic withdrawals which may be dangerous or even fatal,” says Dr Atul Ambekar, professor at the National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre (NDDTC), All India Institute of Medical Sciences. All health services, says Ambekar, need to be prepared to deal with extreme cases in this unprecedented situation. Severe withdrawal symptoms include convulsions and delirium while those suffering from mild to moderate withdrawal could experience severe craving, sleeplessness and anxiety, among others.With suicide cases being reported in the state over prohibition of liquor, doctors say that the sudden prohibition in availability of alcohol may lead to problems.Dr Roshan Jain (Senior Consultant Psychiatrist, and De-Addiction specialist, Apollo Hospitals) said that dependency on anything is never a good idea. And when dependency is driven by a sense of compulsion and craving for the desired substance (or behaviour) with underlying helplessness, then it constitutes an addiction. “Nicotine withdrawals are characterised by anxiety, restlessness, irritability and insomnia. They are not dangerous but just discomforting. But in the case of people who drink heavily and drink daily, the symptoms can vary from anxiety and restlessness in mild cases to convulsions in moderate cases to a state of confusion and psychosis (losing touch with reality) in severe cases. This means, a sudden discontinuation after regular excessive and heavy drinking can be dangerous. To avoid significant and dangerous effects of a withdrawal, one must stop drinking under professional supervision with initiation of detoxification medication and multivitamin / thiamine substitute to avoid complications. Many avoid stopping drinks / cigarettes for fear that they may not be able to tolerate the withdrawal effects.Many others only realise their dependence on substances (like alcohol or nicotine or drug) with associated helplessness only when they can’t procure it. The current lockdown has created that situation and invariably many will suffer. I think they must seek professional consultation with a psychiatrist or de-addiction specialist, to have their degrees of addiction and intensity of withdrawal closely evaluated so that necessary medicinal treatment along with motivational therapy can be planned. Lockdown will provide opportunity for many who wanted change but feared addressing it,” he said.Many people are asking for the liquor shops to be opened for limited hours, like shops selling essential commodities. While stating that she was against opening all the liquor shops and allowing public to consume as much liquor as they want, Kannada film actor Ragini Dwivedi said, “Liquor should be made available to those who can’t live without it, based on a doctor’s prescription.” . However, senior actress and BJP politician Tara appealed to people, especially youth, not to take the extreme step and end their lives over non-availability of liquor. “I think this is a golden opportunity for addicts to reform themselves. I appeal to them not to insist that liquor is made available during the lockdown. The lockdown has provided them an opportunity to stay away from liquor. I am against opening liquor or cigarette shops during the lockdown,” said Tara.V Yashawanth, Excise Commissioner said, “As of now, we cannot take any decision on whether the ban on sale of liquor should be lifted or not. The subject might come up on Tuesday, which is the last day of the lockdown announced by the state government. We will have clarity about it then. We are also in touch with our counterparts in Kerala. They are contemplating providing liquor, based on a doctor’s prescription. That’s just an idea. It’s not implemented yet. I have spoken to the excise commissioner of Kerala.”Kerala which has the highest per capita alcohol consumption in India, has had one death due to COVID-19 but 7 people have died by suicide due to the liquor ban. But the Kerala Chief Minsiter has Pinarayi Vijayan has aksed Primary health centres t manage cases of withdrawl symptoms and not burden the bigger hospitals. A toll-free number by Kerala’s Excise department’s de-addiction programme called Vimukhti has not stopped ringing.Meanwhile alcohol ban-related posts have already started appearing on Facebook. “I have a doctor’s prescription, but how to get to Kerala?’’ said one. A retired businessman had a suggestion, “ Why doesn’t Karnataka allow us to get liquor online, like the Kerala government is considering? Or better still make it an essential commodity like in Punjab.”