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| Dr. Ashish with Brian Mendonca |
-Brian Mendonca
In the quiet studios of Akashwani, Panaji this evening we had a discussion on 'The Festival of Sobriety.' This is unique for Goa which often prides itself on excess like in the carnival, which is around the corner.
The cue was a celebration of sobriety from tomorrow 21 February to 24th February 2025 in sunny Goa. Lent has not started yet so why this emphasis on abstinence?
The call was given by Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) which discerned a high incidence of alcoholism in Goa. Their team is here to celebrate 50 years of AA Goa with an international conference tomorrow at Ravindra Bhavan on the theme 'Alcoholism in Women and Young Adults.'
Dr. Ashish Deshpande, with 30 years experience in addiction psychiatry spoke about how alcohol effects the neurological system of the body leading to a craving for more. It hits women harder because of their body system.
Pushan who was on the show as well, was content that he was off alcohol for 33 years. He spoke about the efficacy of the 12 step method of AA. Aparajita, who is part of AA Goa, elaborated on it and said that surrender to a higher power was necessary, even if it was the AA group itself. You then focus on what you can do instead of what you can't.
Alcohol destroys lives. It effects at least 20 people around him/her said Dr. Deshpande speaking earlier to doctors at GMC. It causes accidents. AA is free and does not accept money.
Women drinkers are a growing category and a cause for concern. However the number of women in AA is less than 1%. This is because of the stigma attached. Nevertheless some women are closet drinkers, their dependency arising from human crises like death or divorce in the family while men become alcoholic through social drinking. This insight was offered by Dr. Aldina Braganza whose PhD thesis was on 'Alcohol Consumption among Women.' (2013)
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