Back to the 'letters to the editor' index

EAST AFRICAN STANDARD Face The Facts Column August 4TH. 2004

DISTILLER Edermann's reply (FTF 23.07.04) on the Five liter packaging is a typical example of an industry gone mad. For uncontrolled alcohol consumption can only lead to famished families nevr happy or well nourished ones. Their idea of a family pack is in total contradiction with family values. It would be more aptly decribed as a 'Famishing Pack'. While it was right for FTF to grant Edermann the right to respond, I, as one who knows what alcohol can do feel that I should respond.

Everyday we learn from the media about sezures of large quantities of narcotics and yet surveys consistently show that the biggest problem for Kenyan youth and indeed adults is alcohol. Even the media has inadvertently deflected attention away from the real problem.

Thankfully, alcohol packed in sachets has finally been banned. Alcohol, it must be undertsood, is not your ordinary run-of-the-mill product like milk but a mood-altering drug of which the sale, consumption and who is allowed to drink and where, must be carefully regulated.

Where alcohol is "3A" (Available, Accesible and Affordable) there will always be problems. From the sachets sprung an entirely illegal economic activity where any shack became a bar and anybody could access alcohol.

But alcohol drinking is not a core activity. It is an optional complement to other activities e.g. weddings etc. and can be taken or left. It is not a must nor instruemntal to the success or lack thereof of these functions. Indeed it has been proved in communities where consumption is not taken as an activity there are less problems which come with alcohol abuse.

For Edermann to associate drinking with family is to be ruthless while taking advantage of the Kenyan's general ignorance over the not so benign capabilities of the drug alcohol.

Contray to their statements that drinking will "bring love, joy, the spirit of sharing in the family" alcohol is the major cause of family breakups, violence (domestic) and other, rape, crime, poverty and soaring HIV/AIDS infection rates. As a recovering alcoholic, I know this for a fact. So what "social concience" do they have when they claim "the family pack will ensure consumers drink responsibly" or "Family Pack willalso enhace husband and wife relationship by ensuring couples spend quality time together" For not being content to drown Kenyans in alcohol they now strive to pass it off as a family activity. So if families don't drink they won't have quality time?

David Ogot,
Director,
goinghomedotcom.org

This site is designed by David Ogot snr. and hosted by
Science & Engineering Research Center
©goinghomedotcom 2001 - 2006
Disclaimer Privacy Policy