Causes of Alcohol-Related Violence
Discuss about the Alcohol-related Violence Consumption Of Alcoho.
The major concern across the world today is the excessive consumption of alcohol by people of different age groups and causing violent activities on the streets, restaurants or pubs after being intoxicated. The issue is becoming more acute day by day. In the recent era, the variety of alcohols is easily available in abundance at the alcohol shops, restaurants and bars, clubs etc. (Kypri, Jones, McElduff, & Barker,2011) There are various reasons why people consume heavy quantities of alcohol. Some of them consume it merely to have fun while others consume it to kill their anxieties, stress and inhibition. It is nowadays commonly encountered that after heavy intoxication people lose their conscious and gets into the most harsh and unethical activities[1]. Alcohol is perceived as the key catalyst for several violent incidents that are occurring each new day. This requires the introduction of stringent governmental policies for the unrestrained usage of alcohol by people of every nation.
Yes, it is true that the issue of heavy consumption of alcohol and its related general public assaults is getting more serious rapidly. The excessive usage of alcohol does not only affect health of the consumers but also cause harm to the people who are around them. It leads to serious incidents like substantial deaths, personal and environmental injuries and other health problems ( Coid, Ullrich, Keers, Bebbington, DeStavola, Kallis, Yang, Reiss, Jenkins, & Donnelly, 2013). In 2004, it has been reported by Global Burden of Disease project that there are around 248000 death cases identified across the world which resulted from severe violence caused by alcohol consumers (Dvorak, Sargent, Kilwein, Stevenson, Kuvaas, & Williams, 2014). There are various ways in which alcohol harm the body of its consumers. It interferes in the communication pathways of the brain system of the human body and making it work in an unusual and insensible manner (Livingston, 2008).Drugs or alcohols cause severe disruptions to the brain system which changes their behaviour and mood. After having strong boozing sessions, it gets difficult for the people to think clearly and therefore they behave unconsciously and irrationally (Hiller-Sturmhöfel, Swartzwelder, 2004). Also, the immune system of the people who intakes alcohol on the frequent (generally daily) basis gets extremely weak that they cannot even handle themselves in the state of intoxication. Therefore, they start losing their mental and physical balance of their bodies as soon as they take the drinks inside their body (Zakhari, 2006). As a precise effect of heavy dosage of alcohol use by the people, it is often realised that drinking assists them to generate a typical sense of ‘’locura’’ which means madness attacks, making them perform violent acts wherever they stand in that boozed up state.
Effects of Alcohol on the Body
Once drunk, the people really do not care as to who there are, where they are, how they are behaving, who they stand in front of since they lose their senses. The violent confrontations of the intoxicated people with the normal person often turns into serious incidents and crimes such as murders, rapes, severe fights. Also, when a person loses his conscious state of mind he is more vulnerable to attacks from other people with the ill intensions such as robbery, sexual assaults etc. The major reason that provokes and influences the persons to consume drugs and alcohols is their socioeconomic status. The researches in the related areas have found that people with high socioeconomic position consumes greater quantities of alcohols than the people who have lower socioeconomic status. The use of alcohol is further complicated with several other moderating factors like race, gender or ethnicity. The reports issued by the World Health Organisation in 2014, it has been revealed that approximately 5.9% deaths worldwide are caused due to the consumption of alcohol (Hawkins, Catalano, Miller, 1992). The people who are under the arrest of heavy drugs intoxication are more likely to react to the situations around them in less time as they are not able to think properly as to what is correct and therefore they enter into interpersonal violence. There exist a complex set of factors that influences the person’s alcohol consumption pattern such as their income level, economic status, education level, status of their employment, neighbourhood and the housing status. The income level of the person has significant influence over his drinking patterns (Boys, Marsden, &Strang, 2001). The people who belong to higher societies believe consuming expensive alcohols is part of a glamorous and lavish life and hence they generally consume alcohols in heavy quantity as a part of their daily routine. Further, the people who belong to lower income groups or people below poverty line assume alcohol as a means of releasing their tensions and stress. Once intoxicated, they lose the consciousness of the mind and starts behaving in the most un-casual manner. As a result of which they become victim of serious incidents like road accidents and robberies.
In response to the stammering number of alcohol causing violence cases, an integrated drugs and addictions strategy has been formulated to address the present programs and anticipated needs of the community in context of complex problem of excessive use of alcohols and drugs. This strategy has included the community leaders and other experts for the development and implementation of this drug strategy. It is the holistic strategy that takes into account the needs of persons of all the age groups. The objectives of the Ottawa’s Integrated Drugs Strategy are the reductions in the demand and supply of illegal drugs. It also seeks to ensure that the other residents of the community where people consumes large quantities of drugs and alcohol, does not get harmed by the behaviours and acts of alcohol consumers. Further, it aims the reduction of harm or damage associated with the usage of alcohol and illegal drugs to the individuals, families and the community across entire Ottawa for all the age groups. The strategy also contributes to the healthier and safer community through integrated treatment and enforcement programs. The effective coordination and integration of the alcohol and drug policies and programs is undertaken through the implementation and execution of this strategy. Also, it promotes creation of suitable environments that supports the health and relicense of the individuals and the community of Ottawa.
The Ottawa Integrated Drugs Strategy
The integrated drugs policy is based on the four pillar model. The four pillars that are suggested by this strategy are Prevention, Treatment, Enforcement and Harm reduction. The first pillar ‘treatment’ is defined as the range of interventions which demands the improved physical and psychological health of individuals who depends on these drugs and alcohols. The pillar ‘enforcement’ seeks the strengthening the well-being of community concerns that are related to the use of legitimate or illicit drug substances (Lang, & Rumbold, 1997). Third pillar ‘harm reduction’ is the philosophy that enables the integration of various practical strategies that aims to reduce the harm caused by the alcohol and drugs consumptions (Cooper, 1994).
The imposers and formulators of alcohol policy aim at reduction of consumption of drugs and alcohol. However, these measures adopted by the alcohol policy levers will affect the level of violence to an extent that depends upon the connection between the alcohol consumption level and the violence. There are various evidences that proves that community based strategies could reduce the assaults caused by the alcohol consumption. It also proves that there does not exists only a single approach to prevent and deal with the alcohol related violence rather there are a group of strategies and policies that will prevent the occurrence of these incidences. Following are the strategies that will help overcoming the severe concern of alcohol related violence:
The codes of practices have been introduced for the licensees endorsed by the project stakeholders. These codes sets the rules and laws regarding the issues of serving intoxicated substances, alcohol promotions such as ‘happy hours’ and the pub-hopping where such concerns are not dealt in relevant liquor licensing regulations and frameworks.
Besides the compulsory requirements to serve responsible services for the alcohol training to the concerned licensees, the employees and security staff of the bars and pubs. Additional training can also be provided to these personnel to cope up with the standards. The operators of licensed premises could also be provided training on the issues concerning the risk of violence related to alcohol consumption. Further training must be provided to the crowd controllers to deal with the intoxicated or aggressive patterns.
These campaigns must be arranged for the patrons and the community to which they belong to create awareness about the adverse impact of excessive usage of alcohols and drugs and the strategies that minimises the harm from such consumption.
Four-Pillar Model: Prevention, Treatment, Enforcement, and Harm Reduction
Enforcement of liquor licensing legislation:
The liquor licensing legislation must be enforced by the policy developers and other regulatory authorities especially in the areas which are commonly recognised as the hot spots for the alcohol related violence.
Other promising approaches which could be provided as a part of the strategy to deal with the issues of alcohol related issues in the entertainment precincts:
Provision of transportation facilitate to the intoxicated individuals so as to prevent them from congregating in the premises that are licensed.
Delaying the age for alcohol initiation will be the prime strategy to reduce the harm from alcohol related violence since with the increase in alcohol initiation age the risk of occurrence of violence will automatically reduce (Carrington, Hogg, & Scott, 2016).
Prevention of alcohol usage among the youth groups will also reduce the major proportion of risk of alcohol related issues as most of the alcohols and drugs are majorly consumed by these youth groups.
To restrict the youth from consuming the alcohols, joint efforts of the entire community such as health care places, schools, licensed premises where alcohol is consumed etc. will be required.
Further, alcohols usage prevention programs must be run before the beginning of the alcohol consumption and during the transition period of life of the children. Children must also be provided proper awareness sessions in the schools to avoid the use of such substances that are extremely dangerous and harmful for their health. Incorporation of extra-curricular activities must be made a part of the academic structure of the schools so as to divert the tendencies of youth group from the consumption of alcohol (Hull, 1981). Also, the academic structure must cover the topics and lessons that create the awareness and knowledge of the ill effects of drugs or other intoxicated substances (Bonomo, Bowes, Coffey, Carlin, & Patton, 2016).
Also, the policy regulators must design such regulatory frameworks in regards to the alcohol consumption that imposes heavy penalties, fines and other legal implications such as imprisonment for the individuals that undertakes excessive consumption of alcohols and misbehaves with the innocent people in the community and who undertakes driving while drunk.
Conclusion:
From the above report, it has been observed that consumption of alcohol is not only harmful to the individuals who intakes such intoxicated substances but also to the person of community to which they belong. Therefore, it is quite necessary to formulate the alcohol policies that not only prevents the violence related caused by alcohol consumption but also that prevents the consumption of alcohol and other illegal substances that affects the health of the individuals to the worst extent. The formulated policies in this context are functioning well but still the incidences of alcohol related violence have not stopped stammering the policy makers as the percentage of death cases due to such violence has not reduced to the acceptable level. In the current period of 21st century the consumption of alcohol is quite difficult to stop completely among the youth generations but it can be controlled to a desirable extent if more integrated strategies are formulated in this area.
References
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