World Day of Sobriety and Alcoholism (03/10)

Every year on October 3, events are held in many countries as part of the World Day of Sobriety and the Fight against Alcoholism.

This date is not an official date, since it does not have such status and has not been established by any of the international organizations. However, doctors and social workers around the world are sounding the alarm and calling on humanity to pay attention to the problem of alcoholism and its consequences.

Particularly wary is the spread of drinking alcoholic beverages among young people and adolescents. Often, law enforcement agencies, social security agencies and medical institutions encounter cases of alcohol poisoning among older schoolchildren.

It is believed that October 3 was chosen as the date for World Temperance and Alcoholism Day in memory of John Finch, a late 19th-century US public figure who fought drunkenness. This man devoted his entire life to educating the population of the state in which he lived, conducting lectures and seminars on the topic of the harm of alcohol and the fight against alcoholism.

On this day, state and public organizations hold lectures, seminars, and exhibitions dedicated to alcoholism and the problems caused by this disease. Narcologists, psychologists and psychiatrists speak at these events, which indicates the nature of the disease, which is, in fact, an addiction. Youth organizations, attracting volunteers, hold flash mobs and distribute leaflets calling for people to completely stop drinking any type of alcoholic beverages at least once a year.

In Russia, the fight against alcohol was given great importance back in the pre-revolutionary period. The Russian Orthodox Church played a big role in organizing events and holding the first All-Russian Day of Sobriety. And today, temperance societies, with the support of the Russian Orthodox Church, actively participate in the annual All-Russian Day of Sobriety on September 11, as well as in the observance of World Temperance Day on October 3.

State policy in this area boils down to limiting the sale of alcohol by age, establishing a time limit when the sale of alcohol is prohibited, banning advertising of alcoholic beverages through the media, as well as educational activities through public education and health institutions.

There are many reasons that make you want to drink alcohol: this is the desire to relieve fatigue, get rid of depression, celebrate the holiday with a fun feast, just cheer yourself up, etc. However, the consequences of systematic alcohol consumption lead to the body's dependence on alcohol. Among the consequences of drinking alcoholic beverages, deaths are not uncommon when a person dies due to poisoning with low-quality alcohol or simply due to an overdose, when the amount of drink becomes too large.

According to the World Health Organization, more than 3 million deaths related to alcohol abuse are recorded annually in the world.

Alcohol addiction, in turn, becomes the cause of many other diseases. Among them are: diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, cardiovascular system, brain, nervous system and others.

It is important to remember that alcoholism not only has a detrimental effect on a person’s health, but also destroys him as a person, increasing the risk of antisocial acts. The tendency to violence, unreasonable risk, and deterioration of reactions become common causes of road accidents, domestic violence, criminal acts, etc. By destroying himself as a person, an alcoholic destroys the world around him, causing pain and suffering to his family and friends.

Among the systematic measures to combat alcoholization of the population, states are invited to develop and implement a whole range of measures, including tax regulation of the sale and regulation of the pricing system of alcoholic products, promotion of a healthy lifestyle, provision of advertising time for anti-alcohol social advertising, educational activities in healthcare and public education institutions with the involvement of specialists at the appropriate level, tightening legislation for liability when committing an offense or crime while intoxicated, development of an accessible and effective treatment system for people with alcohol dependence.



Postcard «3 October — World Day of Sobriety and Alcoholism»

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