With only three more weeks to Christmas and the festive holiday season already upon us, and judging by the jubilant mood hanging in the air, the signs are already there – that most South Africans are gearing for a massive festive season.
With the recent legislation legalising the use of marijuana for recreational use in private spaces, it looks like it is going to be a hazy and wobbly festive season for many in Mzansi this Christmas. Of course, we’ve been working our butts off throughout the year, and deserve giving ourselves a bit of the best during the upcoming Christmas season.
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The real concern, though, is that the majority of people who will be taking real charge of these festive celebrations are the youth. We also know it is no secret that the majority of people, who have taken to consuming alcohol in excess, especially during this time of the year, happen to be our young people.
Some of us may even be familiar with the recent statistic on social media about the people of Mzansi consuming more alcohol and bingeing on meat over the weekends than the rest of their counterparts on the continent.
Sadly too, it is tragic that the majority of our population who own and drive on our country’s roads are young people. Sadly, it is young people who die in vehicles crashes on our roads, many of them due to the abuse of drugs and alcohol.
Of course, it has been proven time and again throughout the history of alcohol and automobiles, that the two are a deadly combination, especially for the young mind behind a steering wheel. But, as if to boldly defy logic, and the accidents statistics made public to all, human beings continue to used alcohol to turn automobiles into deadly weapons.
We can all avoid these unnecessary tragedies on our roads by abstaining from drinking alcohol while driving. We can all behave like responsible road users by drinking responsibly, and only when we are relaxed with our friends and families at home rather than to use our vehicles like unmanned missiles on the road.
Early in the year, the Congress of South African Students (Cosas) issued a statement condemning the abuse of alcohol by its members. This followed what the student movement described as the unacceptable use of alcohol by the youth.
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At the time, Cosas, in a statement, called for the age restriction on alcohol and tobacco consumption to be increased to 21 years of age. Giving reasons for its new proposal, Cosas said alcohol and tobacco were addictive with a negative impact on their members.
There is a place for relaxation and entertainment. For those who prefer to drink alcohol as a form of entertainment, then let us respect the fact that, abused, alcohol can be destructive and deadly. Worse still, when consumed by a person driving a vehicle, the outcome could be fatal.
At least the best you and I could do is to make sure we do not make travelling on our country’s roads the cause and reason for someone else’s nightmare.
For young people, alcohol and drugs contribute to their failure to achieve academic excellence and are the cause of the alarmingly high rate of school dropout.
The consumption age of alcohol should be increased to 21. The government should work hard to prevent the scourge.
Pointing a finger at their peers, Cosas said, “those found to be participating in such activities should be prosecuted. The justice system must give harsh sentences … because they seek to destroy the future of South Africa.”
Sadly, it is worrying that young people and society still don’t seem to understand that drinking and driving constitute a crime. Thus far, high alcohol consumption seems a common feature among many South Africans. According to stats, six out of ten men and women (61%), between the ages of 15 and older, have had an encounter with one type of alcohol or another.
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Last year, Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies introduced in Parliament the National Liquor Amendment Bill, in it expressing his concern about the high level of alcohol consumption. He also raised a concern about psychosocial risk factors in relation to the use of tobacco and alcohol by adolescents in South Africa.
It is reckoned we consume in excess of five billion litres of alcohol annually, with at least half of the country’s population made up of young people. Deducing from these facts, we can come to the conclusion that the consumption of the two substances among the youth is unacceptably high.
Read more: https://buzzsouthafrica.com/cosas-alcohol-tobacco-consumption/
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What a sad state of affairs that it has become increasingly dangerous for young children, especially girls, to live and grow up normally and freely in our communities.
Every day, the police have to deal with the horrendous crime committed against a child or children in the most brutal fashion. The pages of newspapers circulating in our communities are filled with all sorts of vile crimes committed against children.
Children are no longer safe from harm in their own homes. The terrifying stories many of the children read about their peers daily is enough to turn a few of them into possible psychopaths, killers, rapists and molesters when they grow up.
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