Alcohol as Cambodia Social Problem

Abstract Paper Presentation East Asian Medical Student Conference
Bangkok-Pataya-Thailand 07-12 January 2008
Alcohol as Cambodia Social Problem

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there are about 2 billion people
worldwide who consume alcoholic beverages and 76.3 million with diagnosable alcohol use
disorders. From a public health perspective, the global burden related to alcohol consumption,
both in terms of morbidity and mortality, is considerable in most parts of the world. Alcohol
consumption has health and social consequences via intoxication (drunkenness), alcohol
dependence, and other biochemical effects of alcohol. In addition to chronic diseases that may
affect drinkers after many years of heavy use, alcohol contributes to traumatic outcomes that
kill or disable at a relatively young age, resulting in the loss of many years of life due to death
or disability. There is increasing evidence that besides volume of alcohol, the pattern of the
drinking is relevant for the health outcomes. Overall there is a causal relationship between
alcohol consumption and more than 60 types of disease and injury. Alcohol is estimated to
cause about 20–30% of oesophageal cancer, liver cancer, cirrhosis of the liver, homicide,
epileptic seizures, and motor vehicle accidents worldwide (WHO, 2002).

Alcohol consumption is linked to many harmful consequences for the individual drinker, the
drinker’s immediate environment and society as a whole. Such social consequences as traffic
accidents, workplace-related problems, family and domestic problems, and interpersonal
violence have been receiving more public or research attention in recent years, indicating a
growing interest in a broader concept of alcohol-related consequences (Klingemann & Gmel,
2001). On the other hand, however, social consequences affect individuals other than the
drinker e.g. passengers involved in traffic casualties, or family members affected by failure to
fulfill social role obligations, or incidences of violence in the family. Ultimately, however,
these events have an impact on society as a whole insofar as they affect economic
productivity or require the attention and resources of the criminal justice or health care
system, or of other social institutions (Gmel & Rehm, 2003).Alcohol consumption lead to social problems: alcohol consumption and workplace problems, alcohol consumption and family problems, poverty, and domestic violence.

For decades, Cambodia had experienced a "double burden" of morbidity and mortality
from a high prevalence of communicable diseases and high rate of disability and
death due to landmine injuries. Recently however, data has shown that an increasing
importance of road traffic injuries as a major cause of accidental death and injury.Most
road injuries are among motorcycle riders - nearly 90% in Cambodia. The recent survey in may 07 shows that percentage of casualties injured
in road accidents due to human error result from alcohol abuse is 17% of all the traffic accident in Cambodia (Cambodia Road Traffic Accident and Victim information system-monthly report, May 2007). And the record of alcohol consumption (litres of pure alcohol) among adults over fifteen years old is 1.5/capital (WHO, 2007).Drink-driving and domestic violence related to alcohol consumption is a growing problem in Asia pacific and Cambodia.
Drink-driving is one of other several major causes of injuries and fatality among road users in Cambodia, this is according to WHO. On the social aspect, alcohol impairs many social functions, especially in family life. Drinking costs money and can impact upon resources particularly of a poor family, leaving other family members destitute. Also, it is worth noting that specific intoxicated events can also have lasting consequences, through home accidents and family violence (Room, 1998; Room et al., 2002).
The majority of victims of Domestic violent resulted from alcohol abuse in Cambodia are women and children, this is according to the statistics Alcohol has been shown to be a significant risk factor for husband-to-wife violence.

Alcohol is not an ordinary commodity. While it carries connotations of pleasure and
sociability in the minds of many, harmful consequences of its use are diverse and widespread.
To effectively reduce the level of harmful social and health consequences from alcohol use
requires much preparation and planning. It is now the responsibility of governments
worldwide and concerned citizens to encourage healthy debate and formulate effective public
health-oriented countermeasures in order to minimize the harm caused by alcohol use.

Miliya Thyl