De-Stressing With Alcohol Only Leads To Distress

K.Viswanath, a Kolkata-based Psychologist and Rehabilitation Consultant and Founder Secretary of Mukti Rehabilitation Centre, Kolkata, shared his practical experiences of fighting alcoholism with BE’s Ellora De.

Q. Who is an alcoholic?

A. An alcoholic is one whose uncontrolled drinking leads to continuing problems in any area of his life including the workplace and in spite of such problems, he does not stop drinking. He cannot stop it because he has become physically and psychologically dependent on alcohol.

Q. Can anything be done to cure an alcoholic?

A. Yes, an alcoholic can be cured.

Medical research has now established that alcoholism is a disease. So, an alcoholic is a ‘sick’ person who needs specialised treatment (physical and psychological).

Q. How your organisation ‘Mukti Rehabilitation Centre’ combat the menace of alcohol addiction?

A. We address the problem of alcohol addiction in two levels. One approach is ‘prevention’ and another is ‘intervention.’ Under the prevention programmes, we hold awareness camps, seminars, workshops at different levels, in factories, schools, colleges and communities, to convince people about the evils of alcohol and how alcohol damages one’s body. We tell people that alcohol only leads to alcoholism and does not do any good in any way. We aware people that alcohol has negative effect on the individual who consumes it and on his/ her family as well as society.

Intervention occurs where we are referred to. We first detoxify the victim and then start the process of rehabilitation.

Q. Is rehabilitation possible at victim’s house?

A. We do not encourage that as the process needs the meticulous steps of medication, observation and counselling.