DR MANDA: THERE IS TOO MUCH CARELESS DRINKING AMONG WOMEN

Urologist Francis Manda says there is too much careless drinking among women in Zambia.
He said some Zambian women had lost their cultural values because of the manner in which they conducted themselves at functions such as bridal ceremonies.

“Some women embarrass themselves in the presence of their children by shamelessly drinking to the point where they urinate in their pants or make arrangements with their boyfriends to pick them up, cheating their husbands that they are still attending the function,” he said.
“At functions such as kitchen parties, that is where a lot of alcohol is taken. Especially some married women because they feel that they are enjoying their freedom of being free, and they don’t just consume one type of alcohol but anything as long as it is beer.”
Dr Manda said the vices had led to some women and mothers failing to be role models to their children as some of them shamelessly misbehaved in the presence of their children.
He said such women were promoters of illicit behaviours that were steadily increasing among the youth.
Dr Manda also urged traditional counsellors who were preparing women for marriage to advocate the abolishment of alcohol consumption during bridal functions if future brides were to respect and honour their matrimonial homes.
“If you are only teaching that bride to be immoral and carelessly drink, how do you expect her to take care of her future home?” he asked.
Dr Manda said high alcohol consumption was among the major causes of poor health in Zambia.
He explained that the rampant intake of alcohol had the capacity to damage the liver due to the chemical substances that alcohol contained.
“I am not saying one cannot take alcohol once in a while. But people should know that high alcohol consumption derails a person’s thinking capacity and this does not augur well for a parent who is looking after children,” he said.
Dr Manda said a human liver would get poisoned by alcohol contents once a person was intoxicated beyond what his body could take.
He said once a human liver was damaged, it would pose a negative challenge to the smooth functioning of the body.
Dr Manda added that high alcohol consumption had the capacity to degenerate particles of the grey matter in the human brain.
“Once some sensitive parts of the brain are damaged, they cannot be replaced as some of them do not regenerate and it is very hard for alcohol to get out of the brain matter,” said Dr Manda.
Meanwhile, Umoyo natural health managing director Kim Otteby said high alcohol consumption had the potential to disrupt blood sugar balance that a human body was designed to contain.
She said alcohol also contributed to high sugar levels in one’s future.
She added that high alcohol also had the potential to reduce mineral contents in the human body and could lead to high acidity levels in the body.
Otteby added that habitual alcohol drinkers were at high risk of suffering from depression.
“Our bodies were not designed to be alkaline and this is very dangerous for human beings,” she said.
Otteby also urged expectant mothers to desist from taking alcohol as it had the potential to cause mental disorders to their unborn children.
According to a recent World Health Organisation report, alcohol kills 3.3 million people worldwide each year, more than AIDS, tuberculosis and violence combined. The UN health agency further warned that booze consumption was on the rise.