On April 4, three friends sat together near a dargah at Kottaipattinam in Pudukottai district, mixing drinks as part of their regular practice of alcohol consumption. Aged between 29 and 35, all of them were fishermen and habitually drank alcohol.
However, this time, close to two weeks into the nation wide lockdown, their stocks had run dry and they had no spirits in hand. In a dangerous call, they decided to mix after shave lotion with an aerated drink and consume it to get high. Within minutes however, they began howling in pain and were rushed to the hospital. Two of the men died while the other remains critical.
"Cases of death and crimes because of alcohol is just beginning," says Jacqueline, a senior counsellor at the de-addiction centre in T.T. Ranganathan Clinical Research Foundation in Chennai.
"People addicted to alcohol don't even know that it is a disease that affects them physically and psychologically. They would have stocked up alcohol when the lockdown was announced and now it must be depleting. Once the withdrawal begins, the cravings will ensue. It will seem like the body cannot function without alcohol because it is used to it. And they resort to desperate measures because of this," she adds.
On Friday, the Tiruvallur district police arrested six persons for breaking into two TASMAC shops in different parts of the district and stealing alcohol bottles. The police will be shifting the bottles from 16 shops in the district to community and marriage halls in order to safeguard them. Their plan was to sell the alcohol in the black market at higher rates owing to excess demand for it.
"Another problem to look out for is the brewing of illicit liquor," says Jacqueline. "Opening TASMACs will contradict the battle to ensure social distancing. So we must spread awareness on what alcoholics and their families can do in such a situation," she adds.
What can be done?
According to Tamil Nadu Director of Public Health, Dr. Kolandasamy, the government has provided mental health helplines for this very purpose.
"They can call and get counselling from our staff when they feel the cravings kick in. If they have severe symptoms and are unable to handle their withdrawal, the family can get them admitted to the nearest Government hospital," he says.
Jacqueline meanwhile points out that additional awareness campaigns are required to alert people to the possibility of withdrawal symptoms and solutions present to address it.
"In some cases they may have mild symptoms that they can treat at home. But in other cases they may require help from a professional. That awareness needs to be given that it is okay to go get yourself admitted if you are facing difficulty handling the withdrawal," she says.