New Delhi, 4 February 2022: As per the Global Burden of Disease study, alcohol use is the most common risk factor for death and disability in the younger age group of 15-49 years accounting for 12% of deaths among men in this age group, more than deaths due to TB and Diabetes
- Between 2010-2016, prevalence of current drinkers doubled among Indian men and quadrupled among Indian women
- Alcohol continues to be popular in the society especially among the youth
With the aim to inform people about the harmful effects of alcohol, World Health Organization launched an awareness campaign in collaboration with Gaon Connection, a rural media platform in India that targets young people. Titled ‘Meri Pyaari Zindagi’ (My Dear Life), the campaign uses 10 short videos and 15 short audio stories in Hindi narrated by a popular story teller, including memes to engage and connect with young people.
The campaign targets and addresses misconceptions around alcohol use. While most people associate alcohol with liver disease like cirrhosis, alcohol use is also linked to heart attacks, strokes, and cancers. Alcohol reduces the user’s immunity, increasing her/his risk of contracting infectious diseases like Tuberculosis, Pneumonia and even COVID-19, among others.
The 2018 WHO Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health [1] estimated that alcohol use is responsible for 18% of all interpersonal violence including homicides, 18% suicides and 27% road traffic accident-related deaths.
Of the current alcohol users in India, 19% have become dependent on it[2] and 44% are binge-drinkers [3]
Despite the worrying statistics, the campaign gives hope that overcoming alcohol addiction is possible through real life stories of people who have successfully quit after years of suffering with the addiction.
The audio stories revolve around themes such as consequences of drinking alcohol, drinking with the false belief that it helps overcome stress, peer pressure and unable to say - NO. The real-life stories capture the role that family members can play to help quit alcohol.
As part of the campaign, relevant age-appropriate videos, audio stories and memes will be shared with school and college-going youth.
WHO welcomes students and school administration to join the campaign against alcohol by widely sharing videos, audios and memes from www.poisonswelove.org with in the communities and their networks, and get a certificate of appreciation from WHO.
Write to poisonswelove@gmail.com and join us to spread the word – celebrate life with good health, not with alcohol.