Tanzanians suffer twice the average of the alcohol disorder rate experienced by other African countries. Alcohol disorder is defined as failure to control alcohol drinking despite negative consequences to aspects of life such as relationships, work and health.
Data from 2019 estimates Tanzanians to have had a capita consumption of 7.81 litres of pure alcohol. In that year, Cook Islands led globally with 12.97 litres. Worldwide, a reported 3 million people die from the effects of alcohol. The reasons are obvious. Excessive alcohol consumption induces mental disorder, contributes to aggressive driving and a higher incidence of fatal accidents, stokes interpersonal violence, and raises the prospect of alcohol poisoning.
Prolonged alcohol consumption can lead to addiction. Alcohol addicts usually neglect their duty to their dependents and endanger the welfare of children in particular their right to education, healthcare, and shelter. Early use of alcohol in infants and adolescents affects healthy brain development and will affect the mental health of future generations.
Worse still, alcoholics have a higher risk of suffering from depression and anxiety. Trust in relationships is another proven casualty of alcoholism; alcoholism heightens existing tendencies towards jealousy.
When measuring the impact of tax revenue against the ill effects of alcoholism, the reality is not as black and white as one would imagine. In 2019 Tanzanian breweries contributed 159 billion Tanzanian shillings (USD 68.9 million) to tax revenue. One might justifiably wonder whether in consideration of the pros of meeting revenue targets against the cons of alcohol-induced health issues, government planners will, without hesitation, will consider taking tax revenue with one hand and, with the other, increase the health budget to address the demand for alcoholism-related healthcare.
I sympathise with the challenges and difficult choices the government has to make. I can speak from experience from both sides of the argument. I used to be an exemplary consumer of beer but each time friends and family members suggested it was time to reduce consumption or quit altogether I would argue against any such move, saying it would undermine tax revenue collection through the drop in revenue that will affect beer sales.
Fortunately, I found reason to quit. From this side of the argument there is no dispute that there are many important reasons for remaining sober including a healthier self, increased self-esteem, a sharper focus on work, an increase in productivity, and a higher tolerance to dealing with difficult people. There are many others.
I open up to a very personal aspect of my life in the belief that, through my example, others who are trapped in a similar destructive lifestyle will decide to take the first step towards a healthier and more fulfilling direction. It is possible.
