Alcohol use in Chandigarh beyond national average: Study
Shimona Kanwar | TNN | Feb 23, 2019, 07:08 IST
Representative imageCHANDIGARH: According to a study conducted by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, (AIIMS), New Delhi recently, around 2 lakh people consume alcohol in the city which is more than the national average of alcohol consumers. The study was conducted in all the 36 states and UTs. Chandigarh has been placed on 14th slot in the prevalence of alcohol users. Chhattisgarh tops the country with prevalence of 35.6% of alcohol users. This is the first pan-India study which has taken into consideration all illicit and legal substances.
Prior to this, last year PGI had conducted a study that revealed there were 7 lakh opioid dependents and nearly 40% of those use injection opioids in the city. The national average of alcohol users is 14.6%, while Chandigarh recorded a prevalence of 17.5%.
Besides this, the number of sedative users and those who are dependents on sedatives is also higher than the national average in Chandigarh. There are 11,000 sedative users, out of which 1,500 are dependents. Those in the city had been dependent on various psychoactive substances besides alcohol that includes cocaine, cannabis, opioids, inhalants, sedatives and ecstasy drugs. “The reason for more alcoholic dependents and consumers can be availability of better services in our city hospitals,” said Dr Ajeet Sidana, department of psychiatry, Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32.
The PGI study also inferred that 1 in 15 people were using any substance and only 1in 1000 of such users were admitted for treatment. Also, the PGI study estimated that the city had 14,000 alcohol dependents.
“Overall, alcohol is the most used substance in the country with 5.7 crore dependents,” said Dr Atul Ambekar, lead author of the study in AIIMS.
Worried about the increase in the consumption of alcohol in particular, Prof Rajesh Kochhar, department of gastroenterology in PGI said. “There are 250 patients of alcohol-induced pancreatitis coming to the PGI annually which is one the largest numbers in a hospital. There is a growing concern of alcohol consumption in the city as well.”
Prior to this, last year PGI had conducted a study that revealed there were 7 lakh opioid dependents and nearly 40% of those use injection opioids in the city. The national average of alcohol users is 14.6%, while Chandigarh recorded a prevalence of 17.5%.
Besides this, the number of sedative users and those who are dependents on sedatives is also higher than the national average in Chandigarh. There are 11,000 sedative users, out of which 1,500 are dependents. Those in the city had been dependent on various psychoactive substances besides alcohol that includes cocaine, cannabis, opioids, inhalants, sedatives and ecstasy drugs. “The reason for more alcoholic dependents and consumers can be availability of better services in our city hospitals,” said Dr Ajeet Sidana, department of psychiatry, Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32.
The PGI study also inferred that 1 in 15 people were using any substance and only 1in 1000 of such users were admitted for treatment. Also, the PGI study estimated that the city had 14,000 alcohol dependents.
“Overall, alcohol is the most used substance in the country with 5.7 crore dependents,” said Dr Atul Ambekar, lead author of the study in AIIMS.
Worried about the increase in the consumption of alcohol in particular, Prof Rajesh Kochhar, department of gastroenterology in PGI said. “There are 250 patients of alcohol-induced pancreatitis coming to the PGI annually which is one the largest numbers in a hospital. There is a growing concern of alcohol consumption in the city as well.”
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