Tag Archives: Alcohol

Tanzania bans sachet alcoholic drinks.

Posted on by
1

A ban on alcohol sold in plastic sachets will come into force in Tanzania this week, the government said Wednesday, as it seeks to protect the environment and curb youth boozing.

The import, manufacture, sale and consumption of the 50 millilitre alcoholic sachets — the size of a double shot and commonly containing gin, rum, vodka, whisky or other spirits — will be banned with effect from March 2, said environment minister January Makamba.

President John Magufuli announced the ban last year.

The sachet ban is expected to upset businessmen, some of whom make huge profits from their sale, as well as drinkers who will be forced to pay more for bottled alcohol, but will be welcomed by religious leaders, teachers and parents.

The easily-concealed bags of booze are especially popular among school students who can be seen sucking on the sachets between classes or at the start of the school day.

In some places the sachets sell faster than soft drinks or donuts and, when discarded, are an eyesore. When the wind blows they float in the sky like filthy confetti.

The sachet ban comes after the government launched an anti-drugs campaign last month.

Several African countries such as Ivory Coast, Senegal, Malawi and Rwanda have already imposed bans on alcohol sachets.

 

Source: The Guardian

BREAKING: Borno State Government bans prostitution, sale of alcohol.

Posted on by
350

As part of its efforts to curtail criminality and social vices, the the Borno government has announced the ban on the sale of alcohol and prostitution in the state.

The Commissioner of Justice, Alhaji Kakashehu Lawan, made the announcement while briefing newsmen on Thursday in Maiduguri.

 

He said that mobile courts would be set up to try violators of the new law.

 

“The sale of alcohol is hereby banned throughout the state with effect from Jan. 20.

 

“All brothels and other spots where prostitution, immoral activities, sale and consumption of illicit drugs take place are hereby banned with immediate effect,” he said.

 

The commissioner however explained that military and paramilitary formations across the state are exempted from the ban.

 

“Military and paramilitary formations (Mammy Markets are exempted as provided by the liquor business (prohibition) law 2000.

 

“Those engaged in the activities above particularly in Galadima, Gamboru, Moduganari, Wulari, Hot Bite, Baga Road, Mairi, London Ciki, Artellery and along Giwa Barracks are hereby warned to take note,” he said.

 

Lawan called on owners of unregistered chemists and patent medicine stores to register their outfits or be made to face the wrath of the law.

 

“All unregistered chemists and patent medicine stores are hereby warned to properly get registered with in two weeks from today or be forced to close down.

 

“Government will not tolerate a situation where unregistered or unlicensed persons engage in such business that directly touches on the health of the citizenry,’’ he said.

Alcohol poisoning death toll in Russia rises to 53.

Posted on by
Reply

The death toll from alcohol poisoning in the east Siberian city of Irkutsk has risen to 53, and 26 people are still hospitalised, the media report said on Tuesday.

 

The victims consumed a bath lotion which local officials later found contained deadly levels of methanol and antifreeze.

 

Police have found an underground facility that made the counterfeit lotion, and seized 500 liters of the substance at about 100 shops in Irkutsk.

 

President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, described the mass poisoning as a terrible tragedy, adding that the president was being briefed about the situation.

 

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev told a cabinet meeting that authorities need to deal with illegal turnover of such substances with alcohol content and quickly ban it.

 

Russian media reported that 21 people had died of alcohol poisoning in Irkutsk.

 

All of them got poisoned after consuming the bath lotion marked with the warning that it is not for drinking.

 

Report says poisonings caused by surrogate alcohol are often seen in Russia, but the case in Irkutsk is the deadliest in years.

‘States opposed to alcohol should not share from alcohol tax’ – Atiku

Posted on by
51

Ex-Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has said states opposed to the sale and consumption of alcohol have no business should not benefit from tax paid on alcohol.

He also said the country does not need more states because existing states are too weak and unviable to be federating units.

Atiku spoke at the public presentation of a book, “Nigerian Federalism: Continuing Quest for Stability and Nation-Building”, produced by the African Policy Research Institute.

The former Vice President, who is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), also said: “We must acknowledge that in federal systems that work, federating units cede certain powers to the centre. In our strange federal contraption, it is the centre that is creating federating units, giving them money and monopolising most power and resources. Thus our state governments are no longer performing as federating units. Rather they currently seem like dependent provinces of the central government in Abuja.

“Think about this: sales taxes ought to be collected and used by states and local governments. Of course there is nothing inherently wrong in a federal sales tax but states must agree with the federal government what items should be taxed, at what rate and how the proceeds are to be shared. They ought to be uniform.

“If a state is opposed to cattle tax or bicycle tax or alcohol tax, or pollution tax, for instance, it should not expect to share in the tax proceeds from those items. That is called fairness.

“In fact, states should be the ones collecting those taxes on behalf of the federal government and get compensated for their work, through an agreed sharing formula, rather than duplicating the cost of collection. Federal intrusion makes it more difficult for a state to collect taxes from items that may be peculiar to it, thereby narrowing the tax base. And it makes enforcement even more difficult.“

On local government autonomy, Atiku said: “Even our state governments are nearly dependent on the Federal Government, meaning they do not even have the autonomy that we are trying to give to the local government that are below them.

“In our strange federal contraption, it is the centre that is creating federating units, giving them money and monopolising most power and resources. Thus, our state governments are no longer performing as federating units. Rather, they currently seem like dependent provinces of the central government in Abuja.

“We are all witnesses to the agitations and complaints by different sections of the country at different times about being marginalized or shortchanged in fiscal allocation and the distribution of such other public resources such political positions, jobs, school admissions, provision of infrastructure, and even social honour.

“In response many Nigerians have been calling for some form of restructuring of our federal system, while some small fringe groups insist on their part of the country separating from the federation all together.

“What I find odd and somewhat unhelpful is the argument of those who say that we cannot renegotiate our union and who proceed from there to equate every demand for restructuring with attempts to break up the country.

“I believe that every form of human relationships is negotiable. Every political relationship is open for negotiations, without pre-set outcomes.
“As a democrat and businessman, I do not fear negotiations. That is what reasonable human beings do. This is even more important if a stubborn resistance against negotiations can lead to unsavoury outcomes.”

The former Vice President added that: “We must acknowledge that what got us to our current over-centralised, and centre-dominated federal system is political expediency and fear, and bolstered by the command and control character of military regimes.”

 

Alcoholic Chains Himself Up In Room In Desperate Attempt To Stop Drinking

Posted on by
2
Staying  sober is a real struggle for alcoholics, and the protagonist of this sad story is no exception than 30-year-old Zhang Rui who  had been trying to kick the habit for a while, but when all his attempts failed, both he and his family got desperate. After what must have been a serious intervention, he agreed to let his mother chain him by the neck in a room, to prevent him from buying or stealing booze.
Zhang, who is still locked in his attic room in Bengbu, east China, told reporters that he couldn’t think of any other way to stop himself from harming others or drinking himself to death. Despite his poor living conditions, Zhang believes that confining himself is the only way to beat the addiction that has ruined his life. In fact, he wants to stay chained up and locked in there for at least six months, until he no longer feels the need to consume alcohol.
 
 
The tiny 10-square-meter space is sparsely furnished, with only a mattress for sleeping, a laptop and a small TV to keep him entertained. He doesn’t even have a toilet – just a bucket and a large bottle of water to keep himself clean. The chain around his neck is four meters long and weighs about 22 lbs, so he can hardly stand up on his own in his current state. It allows him to walk around the room as exercise, but not much else.
According to the reporters who visited him, Zhang used to be a kind and gentle person working as a truck driver, however, all that changed six months ago when he started drinking. He turned so violent and abusive that he lost both his job and his wife and children. Things got so bad at one point that he begged for money on the streets just to be able to buy cheap rice wine. Once drunk, he reportedly had no controls over his actions.
 
 
When his family left him, Zhang was devastated, and the misery drove him to the extreme decision of home imprisonment. Quitting cold turkey has been torturous for him, so much so that he cries all the time and beats himself up with the chains. He becomes very irritable at times and tries to pick the lock or slide the chain off his neck. So far he has only managed to hurt himself even more.
Zhang hasn’t had an easy life – he lost his father at an early age and he was brought up by his mother in poverty. it is believed that this rough upbringing eventually led him to alcohol addiction. 
Zhang’s mother is obviously heartbroken with his current situation, but she doesn’t plan on unlocking the chain until she is sure he has beaten alcohol addiction. She doesn’t know how long he will stay locked up in the attic, but she is convinced it is the only way to get her old son back.
This has to be the most extreme case of self-imposed rehab since the guy who built a metal cage for his head in order to stop smoking.
Photos: NetEase

Sources: Shanghaiist, Daily Mail

New Recommendations Say No Amount Of Alcohol Is Safe During Pregnancy

Posted on by
1

For anyone who’s ever wondered whether it’s safe for pregnant women to have a sip or two of wine every now and then, the medical gods have spoken: A new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says pregnant women should put the glass down, pour the wine out, and cork that bottle until the baby arrives.

The warning goes for beer and liquor drinkers too. If it gives you a buzz, it can harm a fetus, according to the report, which says any amount of booze can contribute to 100 percent preventable birth defects and developmental disabilities that could last for life. If you’re all like, “Who would drink while they’re pregnant?!” here’s some sobering news: A recent survey found that 1 in 10 pregnant women say they imbibe, and a third of that subset binge-drink (i.e., throw back more than four drinks in quick succession). As you might expect, the more you drink, the more damage you can do — but the AAP’s stance is crystal clear: No amount of alcohol is safe during pregnancy. Not a drop!

 An AAP statement suggests that drinking during your first and second trimester can raise your baby’s risk of developing fetal alcohol development syndrome by a crazy-high 61 percent — which means the absolute worst time to drink is early in your pregnancy. Because it can take a few weeks to find out you’re pregnant in the first place, the stat is pretty scary — much scarier than the prospect of sticking to water until your water breaks. Which is a pretty small price to pay for a *~pErFeCt~* baby — no matter how many weddings you’ll have to attend sober between conception and your due date.

Credit: Cosmopolitan

Scott Disick Checks Into Drug & Alcohol Rehab Center For Treatment

Posted on by
1

Scott Disick has checked into a drug and alcohol rehab center for treatment, a source confirms to ET.

The news breaks one day after the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star shared a cryptic message on his Instagram account, posting an image with the phrase “Never give up” written in chalk, but no additional caption.

The 32-year-old has been having a tough year, as he and longtime love Kourtney Kardashian called it quits in July after Disick was photographed cozying up to an ex-girlfriend in Monte Carlo. “I made the worst decision I’ve ever made in my life,” Disick told Kardashian in a recent episode of the family’s reality series.

Together, Kardashian and Disick share three young children, but a source recently told ET not to expect a rekindled romance anytime soon.

“Kourtney is not taking Scott back – never, as of right now,” the source said. “Kourtney has been through a lot of drama with Scott over the years but it’s for real this time.”

Read More: ETonline