‘It’s no big deal to have a peg or two!’, ‘Oh it’s just beer!’, ‘I’m stressed out and a drinking session on weekends is totally justified!’ These are just some of the excuses that an average Malayali gives when asked about his drinking habit.
Kerala has had a long-standing affair with alcohol, but it was never something that was spoken of as a matter of pride.
Of late, what used to be called social drinking has descended to ‘binge drinking’ and other unhealthy ways of drinking. The death of actor Kalabhavan Mani, who used to have drinking sessions with large groups of friends frequently, has brought this issue into sharp focus. Have Malayalis forgotten how to enjoy a drink for its quality? After the partial prohibition at parlours, most of them go for an unheard of cocktail of wine and beer, as hard liquor is banned.
“Malayalis do not have a healthy regulated, recreational drinking style,” says Psychiatrist Dr C.J. John. He goes on to say, “When we look at the drinking style of an average Malayali through the eyes of an outsider, we will understand that Malayalis do not know the dimensions of socialisation. We only focus on the consumption of alcohol. There is also a trend in which Keralites seem to overpower a person who says ‘no’ to a drink and then through an inspirational drive, forces that person into taking a drink or two.”
He adds, “I will not say, do not touch alcohol. There are plenty of warning signs that people should be aware of when it comes to Alcohol Dependence Syndrome or Disease Alcoholism. A person who has developed alcoholism should be identified in a drinking group and the other members should be able to say ‘It’s time for you to stop’, which does not happen today. It is these warning signs that should be put up in front of Beverage Corporations and beer parlours. Moreover, when it comes to beer, there is a message being spread amongst Malayalis that ‘drinking beer is ok, which is what we saw in Kalabhavan Mani’s case. The alcohol content in beer matters as well.”
Senior actor Joy Mathew is of another opinion. “Malayalis will have a regulated drinking style if there weren’t so many restrictions. The government should not interfere with one’s right to drink fresh toddy from his own land. Moreover, it is the government’s duty to see that what is being sold here in the name of foreign liquor is not poison,” he says, adding, “I do not support the habit of people drinking right from sunrise till sunset in the name of happiness. This is a growing trend today. Alcohol is alright as long as it does not cross a certain level. I believe that is what happened to Mani.”
Asked about the role of Malayalam cinema in associating drinking with negative characters, he says, “There was a time when drinking was associated with villains. But the value system was different then. Today, even Malayali women accept drinking. In my latest movie Mohavalayam, I play a complete drunkard. I believe that drinking is associated with onscreen heroism today.”
Sreejith S, a trained sommelier and the Food and Beverages Manager at Kumarakom Lake Resort, says, “All this restriction on liquor has forced people to come up with their own cocktails where they mix beer and wine, don’t know where that combination came from!”
Consultant nutritionist Gayathri Asokan says, “Although it is said that a small amount of alcohol consumption is good, I believe it is in comparison with the rest of the calorie intake seen in other countries. The calorie intake through food is much lesser in foreign nations compared to ours. We must understand that 1 peg is approximately 420 calories and this number varies according to the amount of alcohol content. With our style of food consumption, just one peg in drinking session coupled with some food can go up to more than 2000 calories which is very dangerous.”
“In the name of socialisation, what the average Malayali does today is gulping down liquor, peg after peg. This is due to a complete lack of awareness about the after effects. Moreover, Malayalis should understand that it is not ok to drink based on the drinking habits of foreign nations.”
