05 May 2014

Alcohol and substance abuse pose a serious public health hazard as binge drinking gets more and more fashionable, a health official has said.

Mr Phenyo Sebonego, chief health officer at the Ministry of Health said recently that binge drinking especially among the youth seems to be the ‘in thing.’

“Youth drink less often than adults do, but when they do drink, they drink more in one drinking session,” he said.

Speaking during the University of Botswana’s Health fair themed Drugs, A Poisonous Apple to the Youth-Resist Temptation, Mr Sebonego said alcohol was the most widely used substance of abuse among the youth and that situation poses an enormous health and safety risk.

Mr Sebonego said alcohol misuse rates were staggering because in 2003-2005 the total adult per capita consumption of alcohol in Botswana, was estimated at eight litres of absolute alcohol and has decreased to seven litres in 2012.

“This is above the regional required average of 6.2 litres set by WHO in 2011,” he said.

According to the Central Statistics Office 2008 survey 12.3 per cent of children aged 10-14 years and 30.5 per cent of youth aged 15-19 years reported being intoxicated at least once in the past four weeks.


Furthermore, the Botswana Youth Risk Behaviour Surveillance Survey of 2010 indicates that, six per cent of high school students were reported to have been drinking prior to the age 13.


It was also reported that 18.6 per cent of students reported to having smoked a cigarrete and 13.5 per cent using snuff also known a smokeless tobacco, and 13.2 per cent of students reported to have used marijuana one or more times during their life.


“Other students have reported to have used cocaine, mandrax, ecstasy and sniffed glue. Lately, the rise in abuse of prescription medication has also been witnessed,” said Mr Sebonego. 


Mr Sebonego said the far reaching implications of alcohol and substance abuse in Botswana should not be underestimated.


He said the harms associated with alcohol and substance abuse were increasing in some population groups and the youth contribute to the majority cases.


All families and the society at large, he said, bear the effects of aggressive behavior, property damage, accidents, theft and deaths from youth under the influence of alcohol and other substance use.


“In addition inconsistent condom use, poor adherence to medication, gender based violence, long term hospitalisation and blindness are negative indications of health consequences associated with alcohol abuse,” said Mr Sebonego.


He said various interventions that have been introduced to fight the menace of alcohol and substance abuse include, the publication of names of convicted drunken drivers, the tobacco levy at 30 per cent, alcohol levy at 50 per cent, public education and awareness, reduced hours of operation of alcohol outlets, traditional beer regulations and amendment of road traffic act to reduce blood and breathe alcohol limits for drivers.


“However, after the government has injected millions of pula in those interventions, aggressive marketing and advertising of alcoholic products, by alcohol producers, is fettering the compelled determinations, to curtail the effects of alcohol and substance abuse amongst the youth,” said Mr Sebonego. ENDS