EPISODE · Sep 4, 2021 · 56 MIN
South Africa‘s troubled relationship with alcohol - Professor Charles Parry
from Tribe Sober - inspiring an alcohol free life! · host Janet
Tribe Sober - inspiring an alcohol-free life! This week my guest is Researcher and Activist Professor Charles Parry, who works tirelessly to bring about social change in South Africa. He is the Head of the Alcohol and Drug Unit at the SAHMRC, an organisation which reports directly in to the Department of Health and has the overall goal to improve the health of the nation In this Episode Although many people in South Africa don’t drink the ones who do are drinking excessively A whole industry exists which makes a profit from these heavy drinkers – profits which are demanded by their shareholders Charles talked about the tricky role which alcohol has played in the history of this country – as a tool of oppression – during apartheid miners who lived far from home and had nothing else to do at night apart from drink in beer halls which of course provided more profits for liquor suppliers And of course the dop system where farm workers received part of their wages in alcohol –creating a generation of dependent drinkers – and also playing into the fact that SA has incredibly high levels of Foetal Alcohol syndrome The dop system is now of course prohibited but alcohol remains a major source of harm – 170 people a day die of alcohol related causes and the burden on the health care system is tremendous Of course poverty and the unemployment rates play a big role in the binge drinking culture – lack of alternative recreational activities and the feeling of lack of a future, as well as peer pressure all have an influence Young people are also convinced by the marketing industry that successful people drink – usually expensive brands of whisky or brandy! Charles has been very involved in the fall out from the pandemic over the last 18 months – he talked to us about the 4 alcohol bans and the fact that every time alcohol was banned the admission to hospital trauma units fell by a staggering 60% - releasing space for Covid patients It’s been like a massive social experiment - like turning a tap on and off! Medical staff talked of the changing nature of their work - trauma units no longer smelt of blood and alcohol during alcohol bans We discussed how alcohol weakens the immune system making us more susceptible to disease, including Covid Covid patients who were heavy drinkers had poorer chances of surviving than non drinkers The liquor industry of course pushed back against the alcohol bans and lamented their reduced profits but this was a false rhetoric because in fact their profit increased due to people stocking up before the bans! Obviously banning alcohol for ever is not a possibility but the bans have proved to Charles that government IS PREPARED to take drastic action when required It proves that something CAN be done and government needs to implement a plan of measures that will address this problem Charles shared some of his ideas – some of which he has already presented to government –Covid has actually strengthened his case with the stark reminder of the harm that alcohol is doing to south African society Charles posts daily on his TW account – some really great links and comments on there so please follow him if you can – we need to support the great work he is doing! His TW handle is @profparry We start our annual 66 day challenge on 27 September - Sober Spring here in South Africa but can be a Sober Autumn as well! Membership also allows you to find your people as we welcome you into our supportive community - and this month new members will get a complimentary Sober Spring Challenge Just go to tribesober.com and hit the "join our tribe" button to read more about the benefits of membership More info Subscription membership for Tribe Sober join up HERE To access our website click HERE If you would like a free copy of our "Annual Tracker" or our e-book "66 Days to Sobriety" please email [email protected] If you would like to come to our Saturday afternoon Zoom Cafe as a guest and meet our community just email [email protected] Episode Sponsor This episode is sponsored by the Tribe Sober Membership Program. If you want to change your relationship with alcohol then sign up today Read more about our 7-step program and subscribe HERE Book a Discovery Call with me to find out if our membership would help you Help us to spread the word! We made this podcast so that we can reach more people who need our help. Please subscribe and share. If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave us a 5 star review on Apple podcasts, take a screenshot of your review and DM it to Tribe Sober’s Instagram page - we'll send you something special to say thank you! We release a podcast episode every Saturday morning. You can follow Tribe Sober on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram You can catch our FB live on Saturday mornings (11am SAST) and you can join our private Facebook group HERE Thank you for listening! Till Next Week Janet x
What this episode covers
Tribe Sober - inspiring an alcohol-free life! This week my guest is Researcher and Activist Professor Charles Parry, who works tirelessly to bring about social change in South Africa. He is the Head of the Alcohol and Drug Unit at the SAHMRC, an organisation which reports directly in to the Department of Health and has the overall goal to improve the health of the nation In this Episode Although many people in South Africa don’t drink the ones who do are drinking excessively A whole industry exists which makes a profit from these heavy drinkers – profits which are demanded by their shareholders Charles talked about the tricky role which alcohol has played in the history of this country – as a tool of oppression – during apartheid miners who lived far from home and had nothing else to do at night apart from drink in beer halls which of course provided more profits for liquor suppliers And of course the dop system where farm workers received part of their wages in alcohol –creating a generation of dependent drinkers – and also playing into the fact that SA has incredibly high levels of Foetal Alcohol syndrome The dop system is now of course prohibited but alcohol remains a major source of harm – 170 people a day die of alcohol related causes and the burden on the health care system is tremendous Of course poverty and the unemployment rates play a big role in the binge drinking culture – lack of alternative recreational activities and the feeling of lack of a future, as well as peer pressure all have an influence Young people are also convinced by the marketing industry that successful people drink – usually expensive brands of whisky or brandy! Charles has been very involved in the fall out from the pandemic over the last 18 months – he talked to us about the 4 alcohol bans and the fact that every time alcohol was banned the admission to hospital trauma units fell by a staggering 60% - releasing space for Covid patients It’s been like a massive social experiment - like turning a tap on and off! Medical staff talked of the changing nature of their work - trauma units no longer smelt of blood and alcohol during alcohol bans We discussed how alcohol weakens the immune system making us more susceptible to disease, including Covid Covid patients who were heavy drinkers had poorer chances of surviving than non drinkers The liquor industry of course pushed back against the alcohol bans and lamented their reduced profits but this was a false rhetoric because in fact their profit increased due to people stocking up before the bans! Obviously banning alcohol for ever is not a possibility but the bans have proved to Charles that government IS PREPARED to take drastic action when required It proves that something CAN be done and government needs to implement a plan of measures that will address this problem Charles shared some of his ideas – some of which he has already presented to government –Covid has actually strengthened his case with the stark reminder of the harm that alcohol is doing to south African society Charles posts daily on his TW account – some really great links and comments on there so please follow him if you can – we need to support the great work he is doing! His TW handle is @profparry We start our annual 66 day challenge on 27 September - Sober Spring here in South Africa but can be a Sober Autumn as well! Membership also allows you to find your people as we welcome you into our supportive community - and this month new members will get a complimentary Sober Spring Challenge Just go to tribesober.com and hit the "join our tribe" button to read more about the benefits of membershipMore info Subscription membership for Tribe Sober join up HERE To access our website click HERE If you would like a free copy of our "Annual Tracker" or our e-book "66 Days to Sobriety" please email [email protected] If you would like to come to our Saturday afternoon Zoom Cafe as a guest and meet our community just email jane
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South Africa‘s troubled relationship with alcohol - Professor Charles Parry
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