Alcohol abuse high among youth

The department of trade and industry (Dti) is conducting alcohol abuse awareness in Virginia today, in a bid to curb the scourge which has been decried as the main contributor to road accidents and violent crimes in South Africa.

The purpose of the campaign is to raise awareness about the high-risk behavioural activities related to alcohol abuse and to empower the youth to develop their skills. The campaign also aims to encourage behavioural change, by offering alternatives in the form of government programmes geared towards creating an enabling environment for young people to participate in the mainstream economy.

The South African National Council on Alcoholism (SANCA) in 2008 reported an increase in 19 to 20 year old alcoholics. In 2009, the Lancet Medical Journal stated that 18 to 22 year olds are the group of the heaviest alcohol abusers. It was also reported about four years ago that 35 percent of high school learners are problem drinkers who drink at least nine units of spirits and two litres of beers.

“June has been declared the Youth Month and is justifiably commemorated to coincide with the national Youth Day, June 16. The day recognises the commitment of the South African youth of 1976 who fought the apartheid system and all forms of discrimination.

“The young people of this era have a different kind of an agenda as they are confronted by various challenges. Youth activism is centered on matters of economic participation, unemployment, education, skills development and social cohesion.

But alcohol abuse among today’s young people is noticeably and concernedly high and weighs heavily on youth activism,” said deputy minister Elizabeth Thabethe.

She said the South African government has initiated interventions such as the establishment of the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) and the recently signed Youth Accord, aimed at improving the socio-economic being of the country’s young people.

“Unemployment remains high among the young people, and government initiatives geared towards changing the status quo will not achieve much if the young people of this country abuse alcohol. Our department has a mandate to grow the country’s economy and ensure that all sectors of our society contribute meaningfully and actively in the economy in order to build a prosperous nation,” explained Thabethe.

Thabethe said the Liquor Act of 2003, which is administered by the DTI’s National Liquor authority, requires the department to reduce the socio-economic costs of liquor abuse in the country and to promote the development of a responsible and sustainable liquor industry in a manner that inculcates the ethos of social responsibility.

During the campaign, young people will also be provided with information on the products and services offered by the DTI and its agencies, to encourage them to establish businesses, particularly cooperatives, and to grow their business in order to create employment for themselves and their communities.

The campaign was launched in Pretoria at the beginning of this month and a series of seminars have been held around the country.