By Penelope A. Domogo, MD
Alcohol is the intoxicating substance found in liquor, wine and beer. It is produced by the fermentation of yeast, sugars and starches. Last issue, we stated there that the general advise on drinking alcohol is that men can have 40 grams of alcohol a day while women can have 20 grams a day. Twenty grams of alcohol translates roughly to 1 regular bottle of beer, one glass of wine and one shot of liquor. I say “roughly” because there are different kinds of beer, wine and liquor and these have differing alcohol content.
Drinking can be classified into three: moderate drinking, heavy drinking and binge drinking. Moderate drinking is not more than 2 drinks a day for men and not more than one drink a day for women. Heavy drinking is of course, more than these. Binge drinking or heavy episodic drinking (HED) is consumption of more than 5 standard drinks (for men) on at least one occasion at least monthly.
Some studies show that moderate amounts of alcohol can be beneficial for the heart. The problem here, however, is that how does one measure moderate amounts? Each one of us has a different reaction to alcohol. One said moderation is once a day, not more than two drinks (for men) and not more than 3x a week. That is for that person. Yours can be different. Your moderation can be the other person’s intoxicating level.
Drinking alcohol is a choice. But not for pregnant women and for those who are planning to get pregnant. Because “consuming even small amounts of alcohol early in pregnancy can harm the developing fetus and larger amounts of alcohol can result in a syndrome of severe developmental problems called fetal alcohol syndrome.” (WHO mhGAP Intervention Guide). Breastfeeding mothers should also avoid drinking alcohol.
In excess, alcohol can cause liver injury, cancers, gastrointestinal damage, cardiovascular disease, lowered resistance, abdominal obesity and brain damage. “In recent years, there has been much concern about young people’s binge alcohol consumption and brain damage. Alcohol impairs brain maturation processes through inflammation and neural injury…” (Young People and Alcohol: A Resource Book, WHO)
Apart from its effect on the body, alcohol is also a psychoactive substance, meaning it can alter thinking and decision-making. It is a powerful agent of disinhibition so after people had their drink, discussions become livelier, and secrets are made public. The good thing here is that long-kept “sama ng loob” are brought out into the open. The problem is that when you bring this up again for resolution when the person is sober, he or she will deny it. This disinhibiting effect of alcohol is dangerous because the person is emboldened to do things that put them and the family and community at risk like violence, reckless driving and risky sexual behavior.
Alcohol could also be addicting. Of course, we in the Cordillera, know this very well. We have problems, especially with men, who seem to have become dependent on alcohol. A common comment of those who engage workers is that men workers are more expensive than women workers because after work in the afternoon, they ask for a drink, apart from their wage.
As was discussed in the previous issue, alcoholic drinks in the form of “tapey” (rice wine) and basi (“sugar cane wine”) are an integral part of Igorot culture, just like meat. In the past, however, these substances – wine and meat- were in very limited quantities. These were controlled naturally by nature and common sense. In the past, wine was strictly off limits to young people. (In our home, even coffee was for adults only.) Then, only adults could drink and get drunk.
At present, alcohol (and meat) is overflowing. It is overflowing from the factory to the sari-sari store. Along with cigarettes, alcohol is the best seller in the store and it is always paid in cash. It is available to all, except in communities that have banned selling of these items to minors. But this does not have much effect because drinking has become so prevalent that buying gin or brandy openly is not a thing to be ashamed of.
Beer is not much of a problem because its more expensive cost naturally deters excessive consumption unless a balikbayan gave a party. Beer contains less alcohol than wine and some cultures drink beer instead of water or they drink beer with their meal.
This alcohol abuse issue is a complicated matter, like any substance abuse. While we want to limit the availability of alcohol, here comes government and even private agencies promoting wine-making in the home as an income-generating project. Thus we have all these making of bugnay wine, guava wine, alumani wine, etc, which is lucrative businesses. Men, though, generally won’t touch these wines but women would. And when before, women were not into drinking wine, now we are because we are promoting wine-drinking. Who will drink all those bottles of wine we have made? And if you see TV and the movies, it’s sosyal to be holding that glass of wine. Tsk tsk. So what now?***
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“Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? Those who linger over wine, who go to sample bowls of mixed wine.” Proverbs 23:29-30
