Who would have thought of a day where merry would turn sour and end in mourning? A school of thought actually gave a hint to that effect when it said ‘sorry doesn’t kill, it is joy that kills’.
Over the years, there has been an unending debate to the consumption of strong beverage, alcohol as the world calls them and ogogoro as it is locally called. While some arguments are founded on religious bias; others are based on opinions, depending on who the speaker is. But importantly, the place of health on issues affiliated to it is inarguably centered on facts from established research on the subject matter.
Recently, the news of how alcohol suddenly turned to ‘last supper’ of some sort has gone beyond borders. First was the inconclusive case of Odi-Irele in Ondo State, where alcohol was accused for the death of about 15 people amidst other speculative and unproven traditional factor in the community. Next up was Rivers State, where over 60 people have been declared dead as a result of ‘poisoned gin’. Even outside the shores of Nigeria, over 80 people have also been reported dead in Mumbai, India as a result of alcohol consumption.
For the records, alcohol according to experts has been described as a colloquial name given to ethanol, which is contained in alcoholic drinks. Ethanol is an example of alcohol.
Researchers have proven and recommended that a ‘reasonable’ amount of alcohol could be good for the heart, unfortunately, the definition of reasonable is at the mercy of the consumers; too little maybe too much for some people and at that point, it becomes dangerous and potentially deadly. So, does alcohol kill?
Dr Seye Onayemi, medical practitioner at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos State (LASUTH) akin the deadly nature of alcohol to baseball bat; “it sure has the potentials to kill if used as a weapon,” he answered.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), alcohol kills more than three million people worldwide each year.
Dr Onayemi added: “the ability of alcohol to cause death can be direct or indirect. Direct as in harm caused to the consumer, which includes various health problems if consumed beyond the normal proportion, amongst which are cirrhosis (a degenerative condition of the liver), pancreatitis (inflammatory condition of the pancreas), cancers among others.”
It should be noted that in the alcohol family, there are different alcoholic drinks, chiefly distinguished by their alcoholic content. In light of this, Dr Derinsola Adelaja, medical practitioner at the Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM) explained that not all alcoholic beverages are called Spirit. “Spirit is the name given to a group of alcoholic beverages, which are known to contain between 35 to 60 per cent of ethanol by volume, usually distilled liquor and are known to be volatile. Examples are Brandy, Whiskey, Rum and a lot more.”
She continued: “ethanol is known to affect virtually all parts of the body when consumed inappropriately. Basically, the maximum volume of alcohol recommended to be consumed daily is three units for men and two units for women, bearing in mind that one unit is about either a small glass of wine (9.16 per cent), 250mls of normal beer (equivalent to half a sachet of water in volume) or 25mls of spirit.”
For obvious reasons, alcohol has been fingered as an integral factor in many diseases; this doesn’t mean alcohol is the sole cause of such disease. But experts noted that non-alcoholics suffer from same diseases as alcoholics like diabetes. It is observed that the moment alcohol is linked with a person suffering from such disease, it compounds the problem.
Dr Onayemi highlighted diseaseses associated with alcohol to include “oesophagitis, esophageal varices, dilated cardiomyopathy, hypogonadism, anaemia, and hypoglycemia. Alcohol is also commonly known to impair the ability of the consumer to think and co-ordinate activities coherently, thereby resulting in accidents and violent behaviours that could lead to loss of lives.
Furthermore, Dr Adelaja inputted that the effects of alcohol on the brain is also all encompassing. Some of the effects include “impaired memory, hallucinations, psychosis, vision changes, cravings, sleep disorders, anxiety, panic, delusions, irritability and depression.”
With many people turning to alcohol as a substance of celebration, the menace it causes lingers even after the celebration; it might overstay its welcome in the body to the point of kill.
Dr Onayemi advised that though it has the ability to cause tolerance and physical dependence in the form of its abuse, which eventually can lead to myriad of medical conditions, it is advisable to cut down on its consumption or possibly avoid it.
Over the years, there has been an unending debate to the consumption of strong beverage, alcohol as the world calls them and ogogoro as it is locally called. While some arguments are founded on religious bias; others are based on opinions, depending on who the speaker is. But importantly, the place of health on issues affiliated to it is inarguably centered on facts from established research on the subject matter.
Recently, the news of how alcohol suddenly turned to ‘last supper’ of some sort has gone beyond borders. First was the inconclusive case of Odi-Irele in Ondo State, where alcohol was accused for the death of about 15 people amidst other speculative and unproven traditional factor in the community. Next up was Rivers State, where over 60 people have been declared dead as a result of ‘poisoned gin’. Even outside the shores of Nigeria, over 80 people have also been reported dead in Mumbai, India as a result of alcohol consumption.
For the records, alcohol according to experts has been described as a colloquial name given to ethanol, which is contained in alcoholic drinks. Ethanol is an example of alcohol.
Researchers have proven and recommended that a ‘reasonable’ amount of alcohol could be good for the heart, unfortunately, the definition of reasonable is at the mercy of the consumers; too little maybe too much for some people and at that point, it becomes dangerous and potentially deadly. So, does alcohol kill?
Dr Seye Onayemi, medical practitioner at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos State (LASUTH) akin the deadly nature of alcohol to baseball bat; “it sure has the potentials to kill if used as a weapon,” he answered.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), alcohol kills more than three million people worldwide each year.
Dr Onayemi added: “the ability of alcohol to cause death can be direct or indirect. Direct as in harm caused to the consumer, which includes various health problems if consumed beyond the normal proportion, amongst which are cirrhosis (a degenerative condition of the liver), pancreatitis (inflammatory condition of the pancreas), cancers among others.”
It should be noted that in the alcohol family, there are different alcoholic drinks, chiefly distinguished by their alcoholic content. In light of this, Dr Derinsola Adelaja, medical practitioner at the Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM) explained that not all alcoholic beverages are called Spirit. “Spirit is the name given to a group of alcoholic beverages, which are known to contain between 35 to 60 per cent of ethanol by volume, usually distilled liquor and are known to be volatile. Examples are Brandy, Whiskey, Rum and a lot more.”
She continued: “ethanol is known to affect virtually all parts of the body when consumed inappropriately. Basically, the maximum volume of alcohol recommended to be consumed daily is three units for men and two units for women, bearing in mind that one unit is about either a small glass of wine (9.16 per cent), 250mls of normal beer (equivalent to half a sachet of water in volume) or 25mls of spirit.”
For obvious reasons, alcohol has been fingered as an integral factor in many diseases; this doesn’t mean alcohol is the sole cause of such disease. But experts noted that non-alcoholics suffer from same diseases as alcoholics like diabetes. It is observed that the moment alcohol is linked with a person suffering from such disease, it compounds the problem.
Dr Onayemi highlighted diseaseses associated with alcohol to include “oesophagitis, esophageal varices, dilated cardiomyopathy, hypogonadism, anaemia, and hypoglycemia. Alcohol is also commonly known to impair the ability of the consumer to think and co-ordinate activities coherently, thereby resulting in accidents and violent behaviours that could lead to loss of lives.
Furthermore, Dr Adelaja inputted that the effects of alcohol on the brain is also all encompassing. Some of the effects include “impaired memory, hallucinations, psychosis, vision changes, cravings, sleep disorders, anxiety, panic, delusions, irritability and depression.”
With many people turning to alcohol as a substance of celebration, the menace it causes lingers even after the celebration; it might overstay its welcome in the body to the point of kill.
Dr Onayemi advised that though it has the ability to cause tolerance and physical dependence in the form of its abuse, which eventually can lead to myriad of medical conditions, it is advisable to cut down on its consumption or possibly avoid it.
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