Drinking Laws in Nepal Loosely Enforced
==Alcohol becoming crutch for youth ==
The families are influential, the police turn silent and the event gets an official burial. However, in Kathmandu they still talk about it and with every telling the room turns cold with terror.
Three boys decided to go Pokhara in the shiny new car of one boy's father who is a retired British Army officer. One of the boys has stolen Rs. 50,000 (US $700) from his home to spend on the trip. The errant three are found in Muglin (on the way to Pokhara), completely drunk. They are all 16 years of age. They said that they were going to Pokhara to drink and enjoy.
At 14, Suresh was drinking scotch. A building contractor, his father wanted his son to "Survive like a King." This is a short story. At 20, the "King" was dead from driving his car "Santro" into an electricity pole.
Not all parents allow their children to drink. When parents attempt to compensate for their absence by giving out pocket money, the number of teenage drinkers increases. ID is essential to buy such products in Western countries, but laws in Nepal are loosely enforced.
Teenagers -- with no ID -- are streaming into liquor shops to buy the bottles of their choice. An alcohol vendor in Newroad (heart of Kathmandu) Ram Bahadur says, "A few customers come in the daytime, more in the evening and buy either canned beer or clear drinks like vodka, which are easy to hide."
Alcoholism is becoming a lifestyle for teenagers. Children are misinterpreting a mug of beer as a fashion fad. Psychiatrist Nirakar Man Shrestha, who has a clinic in Tripireshwor, Kathmandu and who also works in Shanta Bhawan Hospital (commonly known as Patan Hospital) in Patan, says that he has 5 to 10 troubled teenage drinkers come to visit him every month. He adds that when they drink they damage their physical and mental growth and are in fact chasing death.
The misery is rooted in the social acceptance of alcohol and society's indulgent view towards teenagers knocking down the odd peg. Advertisements on cable television and in newspapers seem to promote the idea that a mouthful of beer equals youthful excitement. Instead of public caution over alcohol's harmful effects, the signals are positive.
Teenagers have many mistaken notations about drinking. Some think that it is masculine and it enhances the sex drive. Some believe that beer is not an intoxicant and is a social drink. Some say that drinking gives them courage and self-confidence for a shy natured guy to talk with a girl who they love.
Any party, get-together, or picnic becomes incomplete without corks popping open. It is one of the signs of modernity, which has led children to be attracted to alcohol.
There should not be a liquor outlet within 100 meters of an educational institution or religious place, but it is a rule easily flouted. The government has not found any sin in being casual, blinded as they profit from alcohol sales.
Nowadays, teenage alcoholism is increasing, so it is necessary to find a remedy for this problem as soon as possible. The most basic prevention is to make it difficult for youngsters to find a drink. The harder it is for children to find a drink, the better it will be.
source:-www.ohmynews.com
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