Alcohol abuse in Namibia

Picture source: https://www.namibiansun.com/news/drugs-alcohol-ensnare-youth2018-06-25/(Namibian Sun newspaper 2018.06.26)

Alcohol abuse in Namibia

On average, many Namibians are alcohol consumers. According to the world health organization (WHO), about 42 % of the Namibia population spends much more money on alcoholic drinks and beverages instead of buying nutritious food.

Alcohol in my country is a serious social issue. Young people who have embarked on the journey of consuming alcohol and were supposed to be in schools have left school to be in shebeens and nightclubs. The majority of them are young boys (teenagers). This practice has a severe impact on the education level because a lot of youth in Namibia will not have the anticipated quality education which includes skills and knowledge of the broader and critical thinking which is derived from formal education.

The middle age (young adults) who are also classified as working class are also constantly involved in drinking sprees. Many jobs both in the public and private sectors have been lost over the years due to drunk at work and unethical behaviors due to alcoholism. This has led many to become homeless and had a major impact on the upbringing of children and building homes.

The adults including the pensioners are spending their money and pension grants on alcohol. Namibia has good land for farming and cultivation but due to alcoholism, these people can not focus on food production but rather rely on government food relief programs.

Overall, alcohol and drug abuse not only slow the economic growth of the country but also contribute to the high death rate. Alcohol in general is a killer of progress. Progress both, socially, economically, and even living-wise. It destroys health, especially the mental and physical capability of a person. Alcohol abuse leads to heart diseases, mental illness, cancers, liver damage, and more importantly poor sexual performance and infertility of which regarding our country’s small population we need more births for the population to grow. It also led to school dropouts, child neglect, broken homes (divorce), high crime and HIV/AIDS transmission, and unwanted pregnancy due to unprotected and unplanned sexual acts.

What could be done?

The Namibian government can enforce policies to change the way alcohol is consumed and sold, although there is already a law that prohibits children under the age of 18 to drink alcohol, the policy should be strengthened by stiff punishment both to the sellers and the parents allowing such. Also, this issue can be addressed by increasing the price of alcohol.