On Alcohol

Alcohol

Controversial topic, right? Yeah. Today we are on Organic Chemistry 501. We will, however skip alkanes and alkenes and go straight to alkanols.

Today happens to be a Friday and a lot of people are out in clubs and pubs to have one or two drinks. In Manja, the local pub has already been swarmed with young people who are already drowning the sorrows of the long week while activating the weekend mood. Of course entertainment places will not be full to the brim for obvious reasons, but Friday brings an exponential increase in the number of attendants in places where people have a feel of nightlife and quench their thirst.

There are two extreme views when it comes to the attitude towards alcohol. Those who are conservative think that alcohol is evil and shouldn’t have been invented in the first place while the liberals think that it is an ultimate need. Every group here could write a book justifying why they feel so with the conservatives arguing from either a religious or an economic point of view and the liberals from a “kukonda zinthu” point of view. One would ask as to who the Richie of Richie Online would side with between the two. Well. I would say none. I do not believe in extremism and I think there is another way of looking at this whole issue of alcohol.

Talking of conservative people who look at alcohol as a drink that is prohibited, most of them would argue from a religious point of view that God does not like people who drink. One of the most interesting arguments is that God’s men are always on duty and they should always stay sober. Sounds valid to me. Of course there could be more sound arguments that I wouldn’t know about considering that I am a Catholic and our church permits the sort of thing called responsible drinking.

Some would also argue that alcohol takes away people’s concentration on important things like career and education and has dragged people away from financial prosperity. These would cite a few local examples and it would sound so valid an argument. They would also talk about the moral decay that comes around with alcohol. Again, a valid point.

Liberals, on the other hand have no proper defense for their attitude towards alcohol. They will always give you the “drinking is fun” or “there is nothing else to do with my weekend” type of thing when you ask them why they take alcohol. Someone once told me that he didn’t know what he could be doing with all his free time if he wasn’t a faithful congregant at Chez Ntemba. No valid points, really.

Looking at the arguments raised from both ends (only that the liberals don’t bring much of an argument to the table), one would always counter-argue that the points are not valid and that we need to be a bit flexible with our attitude towards chakumwa cha mtengo wa mpesa.
Some of my chidakwa friends always make a reference to the first miracle Jesus performed at the wedding in Cana and how Jesus wouldn’t have performed that miracle if He didn’t approve of people taking alcohol. It sounds valid to some extent, although it lacks some substance taking a look at the gradient between the context of the miracle and the circumstances under which people drink in the later day. One friend of mine (who happens to be a Christian Apologist) once wrote a long article that highlighted on the fact that God does not strictly prohibit the intake of alcohol. In case you are wondering who did that, it is Edmond Kachale (check him out on Facebook), a guy who doesn’t drink who put it clearly that God does not say no to a glass or two. I don’t remember if he did, but I am sure in the comments to the post he put it clearly that there has to be an upper limit to the amount that someone can take; and rightly so.

The issue of financial implications of taking alcohol remains controversial. I have had friends telling me of having spent more than K20 000 in one drinking spree and that sounds too much to be blown in a drinking spree to people like me. On the other hand, when you look at what the money is spent on, it is hardly on the alcohol someone takes, but rather on other costs. On a typical outing, someone wants to go to Stereo or Zodetsa for a starter before heading to Njobvu Yobiriwira (Blue Elephant) or Chez Ntemba (or both). Fuel or taxi costs included inflate the drinking budget. Then there are those who go there without eating at home and want to have food there. I am told in some of these places a mere sausage is sold for some four figures in Malawian Kwacha. And then there are some who want to be the good ones by buying for strangers. Nzabhobho. Somehow you would think that beer would make someone poor indeed, but on the other hand you could look at the guy who has his supper before walking into the local pub and having a few drinks before walking home to have a lie. Or that one who just has that one casket of wine in his house to take after supper. Pretty much the same expenditure as the guy who drinks some fancy juice, if you are to ask me. In other words, this is too individualized to be generalized. Probably umphawiwu umakhala wakele. Not sure, though.

For the issues of moral decay and destruction of education and career, I would say that I agree that there are some who have ruined it in life because of their love for the two carbon alkanol. On the other hand, I would always reflect on the week I and my good friend, Yohane Gadama found ourselves living in a house with three medical students in the town of Groningen . These guys had an upright fridge for their food needs and a small freezer dedicated to beer. I remember walking into the house one day only to find one of the guys studying for a test on the next day. Guess what he had on the side? A bottle of beer. It wasn’t much of a different story for the rest of the guys, who used to drink almost daily without compromising the way they interacted with their guests or indeed their education. The last day we were in the city the guys took us out to their friends who were hanging out. With beer making almost 100% of the drinks present, even my friend who happens to be a teetotaler remained comfortable through the chat, which left him wondering why people wreak havoc and throw tantrums after taking a few beers back home. Probably something not related to the beer. Probably.

As of the guys who think they have nothing better to do on a weekend, I would say that there a lot of things one could do on a weekend. You can play darts, for example. Or just sit at home chilling with family while sipping some tea or squash, if you really feel like nights should be spent drinking something. Parties can be enjoyed without beer, for some of you who hadn’t yet gotten the memo. Ineyo ndikutero. Life is possible without beer.

Having said all this, I should say that we shouldn’t attribute everything that is wrong in this world and in the lives of some people to alcohol. It is possible to drink and still handle life properly. On the other end, it is not good to attribute all the fun you have to alcohol, as the fun probably comes from the company you have and the Kalawa Jazmee drums you dance to as opposed to the one bottle of alcohol you drink and bother us with.

Summary of this article? Alcohol is overrated. Osamaunamizira mowa.