Coming down to any holiday season, and Guyana has many of these, there is an increase in the use of alcohol – moreso  the harmful use of alcohol.
And oftentimes  it is never ‘one’ of anything – some regular drinkers posit that “you can’t stand up on one foot,” so obviously you cannot end at one drink.
But even then, it never ends at two drinks, and what of the impacts: the social dislocations, the abuse and even the suicides caused because of alcohol’s harmful use.
Granted millions die each year around the world, but a significant amount of these are lives  lost in misery and non-productivity; dreams have been shattered through the harmful use of alcohol.
Alcohol is one of the most common ‘substances’ that is abused; and as early as 2002, the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated that around 140 million people were alcohol dependent and another 400 million suffer alcohol-related problems.
Currently, the WHO estimates that 76.3 million persons have alcohol-use disorders worldwide.
It is estimated that about 2.5 million people die each year around the world because of alcohol-related health problems, including about 320,000 persons in the age group of 15 to 29.
The harmful use of alcohol contributes to 3.4 per cent of all deaths around the world and about 4.5 per cent of the disease burden in the world.
The health hazards in themselves constitute a major risk in the consumption of alcohol, as it can lead to the development of chronic diseases as well as acute health conditions, such as injuries, including injuries from traffic accidents.

The Ministry of Health, with the support of PAHO/WHO, has been conducting serial surveillance studies to determine the risks of children to the lure of alcohol.
According to the Global School Survey that was conducted in Guyana in 2004, which targeted students between the ages of 13 and 15, 35.5 per cent of the students had at least one drink during a random month, with 46.9 per cent of boys and 25.9 per cent of girls reporting having at least one drink for that month.
These are only statistics, however, which hardly mean much to the average person – like water on ducks’ backs.
It is akin to the situation on the roads, where some of our drivers, who see the grim images of vehicles in accidents and persons having lives snuffed out because of speeding, and it  touches them only for one day. They will never learn until they are involved in an accident, but by then it might be too late.
It is imperative for Guyanese to recognise the harmful impacts of alcohol – before it is too late.
The social dislocations, the problems in society because of continued harmful use of alcohol, persist.
At every level, Guyana grapples with the domestic violence problem, a situation exacerbated by harmful alcohol use.
This is a serious problem; at the grassroots level there are the sugar workers, some of whom, for example, head straight to the rum shops after they are paid; and even at the top level, there are those who should be setting the example but are embroiled in scandals of domestic violence after a drinking bout.
Health Minster Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, in a recent interview with the Guyana Chronicle, contended that substance abuse is a complex problem throughout the developing world, one that has not seen the level of investment and emphasis it should have.
But that is slowly changing and more is being done in terms of awareness and support programmes to curb those on the far edge with alcohol-use related problems.
However, this problem cannot be effectively tackled from one side.
Policy makers recognise the problem, but responding to it requires an effort by all stakeholders who will need to look beyond cultural, religious and other divides.
This is for the simple reason that the problems resulting from the harmful use of alcohol do not discriminate at these self-imposed divides.
Take for example the problem of suicide, which is a health scourge that claims the lives of between 150 to 200 Guyanese each year; plus an estimated 500 who attempt to take their lives, most often under the influence of alcohol.
The reason for people turning to suicide is very complex and the underlying problem is always different, but a plain fact is that people who commit or attempt suicide are not thinking clearly.
This distorted thinking coupled with alcohol use most often ends in tragedy – and these are only some of the problems.
Guyanese need to accept the fact that there is use of alcohol and harmful use of alcohol, which lead to a plethora of problems that have ripple effects and result in significant damage – oftentimes  resulting in tragedies.