06 Sep 2015

Police officers in Mochudi saw it fit to host an anti alcohol and drug abuse tournament to sensitise the community especially the youth about the dangers of drug abuse.

When giving a key note address at the tournament on Saturday September 5 under the theme: Building a responsible and healthy community that can have fun without alcohol and drugs by 2016, the representative from the District Health Management Team (DHMT), Ms Keitumetse Nganga said heavy drinking speeds the shrinkage of certain key regions in the brain, resulting in memory loss and other symptoms of dementia.

She said heavy drinking could also lead to subtle, but potentially debilitating deficits in the ability to plan, make judgements and solve problems.

Therefore, she encouraged youth to desist from taking alcohol and drugs. Also, Nganga pointed out that heavy drinking goes hand in hand with depression, but there has been debate about which came first, the drinking or depression.

“One theory is that depressed people turned to alcohol in an attempt to self-medicate to ease their emotional pain, but a large study from New Zealand showed that it was probably the other way around, that is heavy drinking led to depression,” Nganga said.

Moreover, she said it could also cause epilepsy and could trigger seizures even in people who did not have epilepsy. She noted that it could also interfere with the action of the medications used to treat convulsions.

She further explained that heavy drinking suppresses the immune system, providing a toehold for infections including tuberculosis , HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. People who drink heavily, she said were more likely to engage in risky sex and heavy drinking also associated with a three- fold increase in the risk of contracting a sexually transmitted disease.

For his part, the district youth committee chairperson, Mr Kabo Mosenye said the objectives of the tournament were to raise awareness and sensitise the community and youth on the dangers of alcohol and substance abuse in an entertaining, but educative manner.

Also, he said it was to impart knowledge on the community and youth on consequences of alcohol and substances abuse.

Earlier on in his welcoming remarks, Assistant Superintendent, Kabelo Bome acknowledged the organisers of the tournament noting that most of the misconducts especially by the youth were caused by alcohol and drug abuse. He said the tournament would bring change in the community especially the youth as they had been taught about the dangers of alcohol and drugs. Ends