Alcohol and Assamese Society

Growing up in Guwahati and having spent the better part of my life in this city, I can't help but marvel at the change in the landscape all around me. Besides the obvious high rises and neon lights, a major change has been the near extinction of our good old corner tea-stalls. I remember as a young teenager coming down to those stalls to have a cup of tea with a goja or golla. But today, in their place, we have wine shops and bars; instead of tea, we now have a generation who drinks beer or a range of other spirits.
Assam in general, and Guwahati in particular has seen an unprecedented growth in liquor stores and bars. Guwahati, by far has the highest number of wine shops in proportion to population, in the country. Every nook and corner will have atleast 2-3 wine shops and going by the look of it, they are doing pretty good business; a baffling fact in itself. Its a remakable statistic considering that in most parts of Assam, drinking is not the social norm. On the contrary, people who drink are often looked down upon and are social pariahs. Inspite of the odds stacked against it, we have an increasingly huge proportion of people, especially teenagers, who have taken up drinking regularly. This reflects in the increasing number of alcoholics in the city. It is almost impossible to get a seat in a Rehab centre in Guwahati.
Responsible drinking is not bad; in fact in certain cases it is advisable. The problem starts when you cross the line. Very often, in younger adults, the lines are blurred. We are already witnessing the negative impact of increasing alcohol and drug abuse - increased rates of juvenile crime, higher incidences of chain snatching, road accidents and drunken brawls. Once the addiction creeps in, it becomes a disease which not only cripples the individual but also destroys the family.
The government is earning valuable revenues,but at what cost? Are we so short sighted, that we do not see the threat that looms ahead of us; we are but sitting on a time bomb, because we are creating a generation of weak and diseased citizens. This does not augur well for our society.