
It is universally known that alcohol damages the liver. From the most advanced societies in the western world down to the most backward slums in the third world countries, all are aware of the devastating effect alcohol has on the health and wellbeing of the drinker. And all philosophical teachings warn against drunkardness. But still then alcohol consumption and its related issues continue to be rampant and widespread in almost all societies around the world. What could be the reason behind this dilemma?
Firstly, we need to understand why men consume alcohol? Obviously, it’s because it gives the drinker the “feel good” factor. Man is an emotional creature and he undergoes many emotions on a daily basis throughout his life. When a man feels exuberant and joyful, the tendency to celebrate naturally crops up. Similarly when he is sad, dejected and melancholy, he wants to feel numb and detached from all these emotions. Thus he naturally resorts to means that can relieve him. In both these scenarios, alcohol serves the purpose fantastically. Whenever alcohol reaches the bloodstream it releases stimulants that can make the consumer really feel good in a dizzy and numbing way making him rise above all emotions.
Another factor that leads man to alcohol is the ever present phenomenon of boredom and lack of purpose in a man’s life. When a person is uninspired and bored, one of the best escape routes is probably alcohol. When someone is lacking in motivation and has nothing that excites him anymore, his days will become unusually long and thus he naturally resorts to means that can alleviate him and shorten his day and in this case also alcohol serves the purpose fantastically.
It is said that the oldest profession in the world is prostitution. But I guess man has been consuming alcohol much before there were any brothels around. And the two unsurprisingly go hand-in-hand. Wars, religions, marriages, ceremonies and celebrations have been regular companions of man since the earliest of times. And in all these, wine (or alcohol) has been a regular and indispensable feature. Both in times of peace and war, alcohol has always been a regular companion of mankind for good or for worse.
In the past, Nagas were known to be hardworking, self-sufficient and self-sustaining. Back then also, drinking wine was a daily habit. In fact it was as natural as consuming rice or meat. They drank wine before sunrise, at noon and after sunset. They brew their own wine at home and whenever visitors came, they served home-made wine instead of tea or snacks. But though our forefathers consumed wine every day, alcohol was not an issue back then like it is today and consuming alcohol did not hinder their daily activities. The reason is because they consumed in moderate quantities unlike in today’s time when many drink till they become totally drunk and incapacitated.
The recent decision of the Nagaland government to revisit the infamous NLTP Act of 1989 has sparked off serious debate and intense reactions from various quarters. In all these debacles, one can clearly see two sides of the issue. In the first scenario, we see a situation wherein certain people and organizations are questioning why the Nagaland government is contemplating totally abolishing or partially relaxing a law which was enacted for the good of the people and the society since the ill effects of alcohol consumption and its many negative implications are obvious to one and all. In the second scenario, we see a situation wherein the NLTP Act has not been successful either in checking the flow of liquor into our land or in acting as a deterrent to prevent people from consuming this antithesis of our liver.
In the first scenario, we see a situation wherein the infamous NLTP Act of 1989 was necessitated because consumption of alcohol had become rampant in Naga society ruining many lives and families. In fact under the circumstances wherein the NLTP Act was enacted in 1989, alcohol consumption must have become a way of life for many especially among the men-folk and young fathers thereby causing irreparable damage to themselves and their families. Consumption of alcohol not only damages the liver and causes other health complications but it also has many strings attached to it. For example, a person who is addicted to alcohol can never be responsible or reliable. It causes financial constraints for himself and his family. And it will create irreparable damage to the self esteem of his near and dear ones and damage the future of his children. So, seeing all these, many concerned individuals and organizations must have thought that unless there is a law which prohibits the sale and consumption of alcohol in our land, the situation will go out of control and the Naga society will be doomed. And thus they pressurized the government to enact this law hoping that it will bring drastic change in the society and deter and hinder people from consuming alcohol since it will become less available and since selling of this intoxicant will then become illegal in the land.
In the second scenario, we see a situation wherein the NLTP Act has not been able to do its intended job. The Act has neither been able to stop the flow and sale of alcohol in our land nor prevent the consumers from drinking. In other words this act has not been able to bring any noticeable change in the alcohol consumption scenario in our land in the last 35 years. And 35 years is a long time baby! Rather than acting as a deterrent, this Act has inadvertently encouraged malpractices like bootlegging, black marketeering, syndicate-system and the sale and consumption of spurious, dubious and low quality liquor causing more harm to the consumers at the cost of their health, finances and other issues. And so the argument is that since the Act has not been able to do its intended job and has instead created more serious and undesirable issues in the society, the Act needs to be revisited and modified by either total abolishment or partial lifting.
I have nothing to say in support of or against any of these arguments because both seem to be fair enough in their own ways. There is a saying, “where there is a will there is a way”. So, people who are hell-bent upon having a good time or relieving their bitter emotions by drinking wine will certainly find a way to their favourite time-pass whether or not there is any law prohibiting it.
However it is also equally necessary that we have laws that uphold moral principles and ethical values and virtues. Whether people obey and honour such laws, it is very crucial to let the people know that the system stands for what is good, moral and ethical and is against unethical, immoral and irresponsible principles and behaviors. For instance, a government certainly cannot legalize prostitution on the ground that there have been many sexual assaults against women. This is because “two wrongs do not make a right” and what is bad is bad and what is good is good and the government needs to show up and stand for what is good and not what is bad.
Human life and human society are ever evolving and as such we should live on constant hindsight and retrospection. We need to be aware of where we had been and how far we have come and ponder over the issues that are dragging us down and hindering our progress. The more we do this the better it is for us all. So when the government decides to review a law which has apparently not been able to do a commendable job, there should have been no reason to panic or jump into our own conclusion as if the government is going to commit an unpardonable act of treachery or deceit. I think one big problem the Nagas have today is our tendency to jump into our own conclusion without first knowing the whole story.
So, though we have turned this NLTP Act issue into a social issue, it is actually not a social issue but an individual issue. Whether to drink alcohol or not will not be decided by the society as, ultimately, it is an individual matter. Those who wish to drink will find a way to it even if there is a whole global ban against alcohol consumption. Similarly a parson who decides to stay away from alcohol will be able to do so even if he lives in a neighborhood which is infested by booze joints all around. So as far as this NLTP Act issue is concerned, it all boils down to will power, mental strength, self-discipline, being responsible, learning to differentiate between what really matters and what does not and instilling the right awareness amongst the populace.