Baghdad, May 27: The consumption of alcohol in on the upswing in Iraq, particularly among its younger generations from different social classes and genders. “I and my friends are used to leave college and get some snacks with bear in a local restaurant at Mansour district,” Khalid, a business school student in Baghdad, told.
“There is nothing to do in this country and we have to find nice ways to have fun with our friends. The alcohol is just a detail and can help us get some relaxation from the tough life.”
Khalid doesn’t consider himself an alcohol addict says he drinks very little when going out with friends.
But during the interview, Khalid drank seven big cans of beer, as did his college friends.
“It is just the minimum to get some relaxation.”
Islam takes an uncompromising stand in prohibiting intoxicants.
The general rule in Islam is that any beverage that get people intoxicated when taken is unlawful, both in small and large quantities, whether it is alcohol, drugs, fermented raisin drink or something else.
Alcohol consumption is reaching worrying levels in Iraq, especially among youths of different social classes and genders.
Even among traditional religious families, the use of alcohol has reportedly become common.
“My father doesn’t know and thinks that I’m studying,” said Khalid laughingly.
“Before the US invasion I was at school but my oldest brother was at college and the only thing they had for fun was going out to eat sandwiches. I don’t think I want this to be my life.”
The problem came to the surface recently after a Baghdad father reportedly beat his daughter to death after discovering she was drinking after college with friends.
No Controls
Khalid and his friends are exploiting the new alcohol rules, or rather lack thereof, in new Iraq.
“It is a precious time and the good thing in Iraq is that even if you are under age, you can get your drink without problems,” he noted.
During Saddam Hussein’s regime, alcohol consumption in public places was forbidden.
But in 2005, the Ministry of Interior abolished Saddam’s alcohol, nightclubs and casinos restriction law, which was introduced in the 90’s.
The government said the law was abolished because it interfered with and limited the personal freedom of Iraqis.
Now businesses selling alcohol are required to obtain a license from the Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Health.
But once the license is secured, there is no control over them and any person can buy the intoxicating products without being asked to prove his age.
Bars, pubs and liquor stores, once shut down by militant groups after the 2003 invasion, are back to business and proliferating.
No Help
Mustafa al-Ghadhun, a senior Health Ministry official, confirms the increase in alcohol consumption and drugs in Iraq.
But he contends that the situation is government under, a claim challenged by social workers.
“There isn’t any project from the government to prevent these people (youth) from putting the first drop of alcohol in their body,” Hadeel Athab, a social worker and aid agency volunteer, told.
“Youth can be saved and if they (government) don’t start, this problem can reach serious levels and without support, even worse.”
There are no government campaigns to raise public awareness the increasing alcohol consumption in the country.
Iraq doesn’t have a structure to help alcohol abusers.
Few psychologists are available in the country, which has been suffering a brain drain since the invasion and the ensuing violence.
There are no clinics or spas specialized in alcohol addiction rehabilitation, making the situation more dangerous.
Haydar Adnan, 16, has been looking for help to her alcohol addiction problem but the lack of clinics and psychologists is making it harder for her.
“I was lucky to have an understanding father who is helping to keep me away from alcohol but without professional support it is becoming hard,” he told.
“I was influenced by my friends that it was just for fun but when my mother died with cancer, it was the best way to comfort my pain,” he recalls.
“Now I just hope to go back to my normal life. I don’t want to become a useless person.”
-Agencies