[dropcap]B[/dropcap]randishing hammers and levers, some of our community and religious leaders broke open doors and windows of those houses and outlets selling alcohol in and around Mokochung town; it was in the early 90’s when Nagaland was in the infant stages of being a “Dry State”. A young and self-righteous theologian with an impressionable mind, I also joined those leaders in the destruction spree. A significant amount of IMFL and cauldrons/pots of local brews were destroyed and set afire ceremoniously at the central police point of the town.
I may not have realized then, in the midst of the frenzy, but I can recall back and sense the indignation of those individuals and families, whose properties we destroyed in our self-justified action; they must have been watching from nearby or afar, unable to fight back but except to curse us. Even the regular customers must have watched with the same indignation while cursing us. “This is our livelihood” and “This is not the role of a theologian” were whispers I can recall that got drowned in the midst of all the drama. Call them brave or desperate, some individuals tried to douse the furnace of the alcohols we set on fire to collect unbroken bottles. Yes, we tried to destroy “the alcohol”, but we could not restraint all those who came to collect it, except to brand/judge them as sinners, good for nothing, and antisocial.I consider declaring Nagaland a Dry State, in itself, one of the greatest achievements in the history of Nagaland and duly applaud those who were behind the historic achievement. But let us face it; the State has failed miserably in living up to being a “Dry State”. Churches, excise department, Police, student bodies, Mothers’ Unions/association, tribal bodies, etc, undoubtedly invested and investing much effort to prevent trade in/of Alcohol into and in the State, but availability is not an issue in many parts of our “Dry State” with demand showing no signs of relenting.
In my blunt opinion, I consider the overall drama of declaring our state a “Dry State” as a short-cut approach to prevention of alcoholism and its related ills. Yes, availability is one factor contributing to alcoholism but merely destroying alcohol is not the only solution in addressing the issue. There are other factors that lead to alcoholism and unless the church and State government, in particular, keenly address those factors, “Dry State” in its true form will be a far cry. A recovering drug user once shared with me, “My parents, in their hope to help me kick my habit, would send me to places/centres where drugs are not apparently available, but getting a pill or two was not a big problem for me; But I am a changed person today and I can live a sober life even where drugs are easily available”. Simple moral; getting alcohol in our “Dry Sate” is not a dilemma as long one is not ready to kick one’s habit. Similarly, not being a “Dry State” also does not make one an alcoholic.
I am not against Dry State, but, as a lay person, I can see gaps in addressing the issues. As far as my observation is concerned, the Church, Civil Societies and the Government addressed and are still addressing only the object (Alcohol) and not the human (Alcohol users); we seem to be fighting more against Alcohol rather than against Alcoholism.
If the Church, Civil Societies and the Government had better strategies to tackle the problem of Alcoholism, the situation would have been much better today. But to date, the strategies are limited to imposing fines, putting culprits behind bars, destroying of seized alcohols and some punitive punishments. Jails and prayer centers are becoming the last resort for those parents and relatives of alcohol abusers. I often hear people saying “alcohol hinders the spiritual life of a person”; so, how effectively and dynamically has the Church has and is working among alcohol abusers remains a thorny question. Except few Youth Camps, Revivals, Spiritual Counseling, and Seminars.etc there are no skill building programs specifically on the issue of alcohol and alcoholism.
Nagaland has a handful of detoxification and Rehabilitation Centers. Today, most of the clients coming to our (Prodigals’ Home’s) rehab centre are those with alcohol issues. It is sad to mention that many young people today are initiated into alcohol owing to various reasons in life accompanied by ignorance about the harmful effects of alcohol abuse. Primary prevention program for young people at the Government and Church level is missing in the state. If the Church, Civil Societies and the Government want to effectively implement prohibition act, all needs to implement effective action to reduce or oust the problem.
Our “Prohibition Act” has failed miserably in comparison to its sporadic moments of success. I strongly believe that if the strategy is blended towards addressing both Alcohol and Alcoholism, the impact would be much effective and sustainable. This needs a complementary initiative by church, Civil Societies and the state. While the government implement the act in letter and spirit, the churches and the civil societies can initiate innovative strategies to curb the situation in the form of organizing primary prevention programs, intensive skilled interventions among the early initiators and alcoholics, Counseling and focused spiritual camps. I opine that the prohibition act will remain a mockery if such determined and complementary interventions are not carried out hand in hand.
