Miglė Kiguolytė is completing her Master’s degree in Public Health Management. She is currently working on scientific research on psychosocial climate in the workplace of health workers. She is part of the Youth 4 Health network of the WHO Regional Office for Europe.
Me and alcohol were never “friends” from the start. My friends used to peer pressure me into trying it but I never enjoyed it. The reasons I don’t drink are very simple: it does not taste good to me; I don’t find it to make my social interactions any better; I don’t need it for psychological reasons either. Actually, when I decided to stay abstinent I did not know exactly why or how it was unhealthy, I just knew it was not good for the human body.
I think the biggest thing that would help is to help people understand exactly how bad alcohol is for the human body. Not just the typical “it’s just bad” thing, but what it does to the human body immediately after consumption, and what the long-term effects are. Giving people an accurate, evidence-based explanation of the effects of alcohol could help them question it – is it worth it? That in itself could help people make more informed decisions about what they want to put in their bodies and what risks they are willing to take. Alcohol causes liver disease, various types of cancer, mental health problems and alcohol-related disorders. A person may feel good now and the consequences to their health seem so far away, but what if something bad happens?
When you think about it – you don’t come home and start throwing all the trash you saw outside into your house – you take care of your home, right? So why would you throw trash into your body? You can move to another apartment – but there is no other place to live than your own body, so why destroy it?
Since talking to people who had problems with alcohol and who now manage their addiction well, I can say that there are more ways to get help now than ever before. One thing that seems to motivate most people is hearing other people’s stories of what they have been through and how they have conquered it. This leads to thoughts – “if they did it, then why can’t I?”. This could be done through joining fellowships or online forums.
It is a very difficult decision to make for most people, especially if they surround themselves with people who view not drinking as boring. I would advise that when you are going out: tell your friends beforehand that you will not be drinking rather than surprising them when you make an order at a social gathering. This way they will more likely respect your choice. Also, try going to places that typically don’t serve any alcohol. That way you avoid all temptations completely. But in the end you can’t rely completely on your circumstances to not drink because the risk of slipping up will be unpredictable each day. It would be best to make your choice of not drinking – part of your identity, so instead of saying “I’m not going to drink” rephrase that to “I’m that type of person who does not drink”. When you consider yourself that type of person who does not drink, the likelihood of you saying to yourself “okay, but just this time” goes down because you don’t have to make any decisions (because you’re just that kind of person who doesn’t drink) and to make the right decisions each and every time takes will power, and will power is a battery that runs out as the day goes by. So, identifying yourself as an abstainer is what would help the most.
Do you think educational campaigns and programs about alcohol are sufficient?
Judging by the ones that I have participated in – they lack quality control. In most schools someone comes to talk about harms of alcohol but the quality of the presentation varies greatly: who comes to give such lectures; on what harms of alcohol aspects they focus on; is the information they are presenting is based on facts and latest research etc. Therefore, some motivate you to question social norms (e.g. does alcohol really need to be part of celebratory gatherings like birthdays etc.) others don’t seem to make any impact (e.g. “there are celebrities who don’t drink so should you”). I suggest there should be some sort of recommendations / guidelines on what educational programs about alcohol should cover (at least in schools). This way it would ensure that a greater number of listeners increased their knowledge and understanding about harms of alcohol consumption.
What do you think is the most important step to improve health literacy about alcohol in society?
It has to have multi sectoral integration, if we are only going to rely on schools and healthcare facilities to educate people to make informed decisions – it’s going to be a very slow process of change. If we would work more with local communities, organize movements and challenges, make interventions at the workplace, set up sober events, encourage celebrities and influencers to make public stances on alcohol and promote an alcohol free lifestyle etc. that would improve health literacy about alcohol much faster. Education about alcohol needs to ascend beyond classrooms and wards.