By Mutryce A. Williams BBA CTM

They hit the streets at about 5:00 in the morning. We see them, barely alert yet they stagger to their favourite rum shops or watering holes to get that drink. They cannot function or start their day without that drink. As early as 5:00 in the morning this club begins knocking glasses. Their eyes are blood red, lips pink and raw from years of drinking and their skin is discoloured from years and years of drinking.  Pungent smells oozes from their pores. Some are stale drunk. In the evenings we see them at that very spot that we left them, drinking away their cares, buying round after round. We ask, How could one drink and drink and drink and drink? We refer to them as rum jumbies or rum sponges. We look at them in disdain. We see them as a set of vagabonds or as an aunt of mine says,  They are a set of nasty, dirty Racans. Dont they know that excessive alcoholic drinking is detrimental to their health? Dont they know that it destroys the liver and kidneys? They are who we consider ALCOHOLICS! Is this really so?

Alcoholism is a topic that is rather near and dear to my heart, as it is a disease that plagues the paternal side of my family. In our society there are a lot of misconceptions about alcoholism and alcoholics. It is thought that a person who gets drunk is an alcoholic. People tend to equate excessive drinking with alcoholism. This is not factual. People have different tolerance levels.  Jane may drink a sip of beer; gets dizzy, drunk and starts acting out. We label her an alcoholic. Sue on the other hand, may drink 10 beers and she is fine. We would not label her an alcoholic.

 Although a consensus is growing among health professionals worldwide that alcohol dependence is a disease, societys attitudes toward individuals with drinking problems remain ambivalent and confused. Until the mid-20th century, the typical picture of the alcoholic was of someone without steady employment, unable to sustain family relationships and most likely in desperate financial straits. This is a stereotype.

Alcoholism is a chronic disease marked by a craving for alcohol. People who suffer from this illness are known as alcoholics. They cannot control their drinking even when it becomes the underlying cause of serious harm, including medical disorders, relationship difficulties, job loss, or automobile crashes. Medical science has yet to identify the exact cause of alcoholism, but research suggests that genetic, psychological, and social factors influence its development. Alcoholism cannot be cured yet, but various treatment options can help an alcoholic avoid drinking and regain a healthy life.

Upon leaving A levels and going out into the working world, every weekend my circle partied. A group of us would go clubbing and we were served alcohol. We were working. We were old enough to drink.  We felt liberated. In the USA, however when we went clubbing we had to present our IDs and we were TAGGED. We no longer felt liberated. We couldnt wait to turn 21, then again when the Caribbean students had their parties alcohol was in abundance. It was a Caribbean Thing! Turning 21 is a momentous day, in the lives of many Americans, as it is the day that they are legally able to purchase alcohol. I saw this and still see their behaviour as strange because I honestly cant remember the first time I tasted alcohol, as in our culture and I stand to be corrected for this is my assumption, much fuss isnt made for drinking alcohol. There is a lot of fuss over drugs and teenage, and I do agree with this, but not with alcohol. I have often questioned, is there a legal drinking age in our federation?  It is not seen as an alarming thing if Jon sends his son to the shop to get a bottle of beer/rum for him. There are men in our society who wet their sons lip with alcohol as an initiation, as if to say he will indeed be a real man.  This child grows up and drinking is accepted. I am not saying that excessive drinking is seen as accepted but DRINKING! If this child has alcoholic tendencies, isnt it more than likely that with this introduction he would be an alcoholic.

I am still analyzing the whole the thing. I can recall listening to a panel discussion aired on ZIZ about Mental Health, Dr. Prince; a psychologist said that the practice or socialization of drinking/alcoholism starts at a very early age in our society. He stated that when he was younger and visited his grandparents they would give him a drink of rum or brandy to kill the worms. Most of us could relate to this I am sure and may see nothing wrong with it. It might not have been a glass or bottle; just a cork stopper of Appleton in my day, now I guess it is CSR/Belmont/Brinley. He stated that this practice sensitizes the child at an early age to alcohol. He further stated that he had told his mother that he did not want his daughter introduced to this practice. As Oprah, likes to say, that was a light bulb moment for me. I thought this to be brilliant. I would have never thought of that. It is sheer brilliance. We are socialized to be drinkers.

In the teenage years some parents/guardians would not allow their children to touch the beer or hard rum but the Duke, Ponche Kuba and the Stones Ginger Wine, of course, nothing is wrong with that. Some of us could remember the days when our parents/guardians were baking and a draining of the Rich Ruby remained in the bottle and we were allowed the bit. We would pour it in a wine glass with some ice and cock we foot like them movie stars on TV. Some of us may even recall cleaning the mirror with the strong oil and we were allowed just a little sip. I am not condemning the use of alcohol. It has its benefits, like many things, it is a personal choice. Excessive drinking or use of alcohol is detrimental to ones well being as functioning person in our society.

Many of us consider ourselves social drinkers. We could by no means be considered alcoholics or rum sponges; after all, we are well-adjusted citizens. We do not go bar hopping that often, nor do we frequent the watering holes, plus nobody, nobody, could say that they ever saw us drunk anywhere, in no drain, so how could we be alcoholics?  Some of us have high alcohol tolerance levels. We could drink and drink and drink and drink and we would not get drunk. Some of us women could hold we liquor like any man.

You see one ought to know that something was wrong, when you go to a bar and the bartender is quite happy to see you because he wants to know what concoction you could help him mix up and possibly name. You ought to know something is wrong when you love not like but love to drink alcoholic beverages. When you constantly got the urge. You ought to know something is wrong when a new drink comes on the market and your opinion on its taste weighs a lot to others, because you know your rum! You ought to know something is wrong, and definitely have a problem when you dont go home for Christmas and the first thing everyone thinks to get you when they return is a bottle of rum. You ought to know something is wrong because, you so happy that you are well, well stocked. You ought to know something is wrong when you are the only girl invited to the fellas drinking parties, because you could hold you rum. You ought to know something is wrong when you start a collection of the little rum bottles, and could distinguish the same colour liquor just by the scent, not even the taste. You ought to know that something is wrong when others remark, boy the girl could drink like a fish!

It gets beyond ludicrous when you start adding rum to everything as if it was Angostura. You add it to ice cream, to drink, to tea, to soup, to rice, EVERYTHING, and the excuse, well all the great chefs use rum/wine in their food, I was just trying a thing. Nothing is quite right without your rum. You begin the practice of taking a small bottle of rum with you wherever you go. You dream about owning one of those fancy silver bottles one day and you actually talk about buying it as if you planning to buy a Porsche.

You are still in denial nothing is wrong with you. Your weekend ritual of just drinking a beer, a glass of wine or rum with friends turns into a daily ritual for you. You sit, break the bottle and have a drink. The excuse is, it is not much or I have to calm my nerves after a stressful day.  You are told one day that you have a serious problem, as your drinking behaviour is not normal. You are still in denial, I am not an alcoholic because I dont get drunk. I am never drunk. I dont have problems. Alcoholics drink to wash their worries away, a girl deserves a drink, after a long hard day, plus I drink in a sophisticated way.

You start getting worried because everyone is on your case, so you hide the bottles of alcohol or simply pour them in something else and still drink at your leisure. The deception began. You finally admitted something was wrong when you asked that special friend, What do you want me to get you for Christmas? The response was, I would really like to see the day when the last drop of alcohol touches your lips. I think that you have drank enough to last you a lifetime. You are completely floored.

Alcoholics develop a craving, or a strong urge, to drink despite awareness that drinking is creating problems in their lives. They suffer from impaired control, an inability to stop drinking once they have begun. Alcoholics also become physically dependent on alcohol. When they stop drinking after a period of heavy alcohol use, they suffer unpleasant physical ailments, known as withdrawal symptoms that include nausea, sweating, shakiness, and anxiety. Alcoholics develop a greater tolerance for alcoholthat is, they need to drink increasing amounts of alcohol to reach intoxication. The World Health Organization (WHO) notes that other behaviors common in people who are alcohol dependent include seeking out opportunities to drink alcoholic beveragesoften to the exclusion of other activitiesand rapidly returning to established drinking patterns following periods of abstinence.

Scientists recognize that alcohol-use disorders likely results from a complex interaction of biological influences and environmental factors. Environmental factors that may affect the development of the disease include personal behavioral skills, peer influences early in life, parental behavior, societal and cultural attitudes toward alcohol use, life stress, and availability of alcoholic beverages. Once a person has established a drinking pattern, environmental factors combined with physical changes induced by heavy drinking may reinforce the continued use of alcohol.

Alcoholism is a disease.   It is a constant struggle because just the scent of any alcoholic beverage could get you started.  The sight of alcohol could leave you wanting, even though you know that it is bad for your health. It is not as easy as some people think it is. It is a daily struggle. We should be more sympathetic and supportive alcoholics. We often see these people as weak and thinks that drinking is a choice for them, just a sip could start the wheels turning.  We should do away with our misconceptions and stereotypes of alcoholism. I saw myself as a well-adjusted person and never thought that I had a problem with alcohol. I did not realize it. I have a high alcohol level tolerance. I was totally ashamed of myself, after admitting that I indeed had a problem. You see, I considered myself a social drinker. It was a very dark period in my life, as my alcoholism grew out of control and I saw nothing wrong it. I did not fit into any of the stereotypes.

I can recall as a very young child, my mother saying to grandmother when she allowed me a sip of wine/rum, If I were you, I wouldnt even let that child sniff that drink. I now understand the comment, as my paternal family has a serious, I mean serious problem with alcoholism. I think that genetics has a part to play in it. I am not saying that alcohol is bad; people like me just dont need to touch it. I vow each day, not to drink. It is indeed a struggle because you like the taste of the rum, you are so accustomed to the taste and you crave it. You dont fit the stereotype; there is no way you are going to die from cirrhosis. You are goal oriented, carry yourself well, involved and aspire for good things, right? There is no way you are going to fall down drunk in a corner, so how could you be an alcoholic, eh?