At the bottom of the bottle

Octavia Tsibes
Shona Ngava

Despite efforts to eliminate underage drinking among teenagers in Namibia, access to alcohol for the young still remains a big challenge in Namibia. This piece will attempt to understand why there is high alcohol consumption among young people in Namibia, what the risks are and try to offer solutions to this prevailing problem in our society.

I believe that in Namibia alcohol is the drug of choice among the majority of young people. It is common knowledge that as children move from adolescence to young adulthood, they encounter dramatic physical, emotional, and lifestyle changes. These developmental transitions, such as puberty and increasing independence can be associated with alcohol use. So in a sense, just growing up in general may be a contributing factor not only for starting to drink, but also for drinking irresponsibly.

Example from the family is one of the primary reasons why teenagers consume alcoholic beverages include. To a greater extent I believe parents who drink alcohol in the presence of their children are more likely to have children who drink at risky levels. So to a certain extent some parents are to be blamed for the excessive alcohol intake among young people in Namibia.

There are parents who believe that serving alcohol at home teaches children to drink responsibly - but for me these types of tendencies rather encourage alcohol intake among teenagers. Not to entirely pin the blame on parents alone and to a certain extent, young people themselves are also to be blamed for this problem. Young people know for sure that alcohol is not meant for them but still consume it regardless. The ignorance among young people also needs to be addressed.

Another reason why young people have drinking habits is due to the peer pressure that young people endure. Although I have not done thorough research on this I believe that many teenagers who drink alcohol do it as a result of pressure from their peers. Many teenagers are encouraged by their friends to drink. I believe to deal with this factor parents and teachers should create some awareness among young people to make them understand that teenagers are not supposed to drink alcohol.

Alcohol advertisements also contribute to the high intake of alcohol among young people. When young people see celebrities or role models drinking, they are easily tempted to also drink because it seems to them like a desirable thing to do. Alcohol is being promoted through various media platforms and for me it is not surprising that young people are drinking more than ever before, this is why the role that parents play is so important.

The solutions to underage drinking in Namibia is for adults in our society to be positive role models. Young people look up to adults in their communities and thus these adults need to be good role models to teenagers in their communities. Parents should walk the talk. Parents should not expect teenagers to stop drinking or stay away from drugs if they keep on consuming alcohol irresponsibly in the eyes of their children. At the end of the day young people imitate behaviour that they see in their senior counterparts.

Another solution to teenage drinking in Namibian society is for families to resolve personal or family issues. A lot of families have misunderstandings and a lot resort to alcohol as a solution. Instead of resorting to alcohol families should seek family counselling to get the help they need.

Moreover another solution to teenage drinking is for parents to know what is going on in their children’s lives. I urge parents to be involved in their teenager’s life. It is important for parents to know who their children’s friends are, what they are doing and where. Another important element is to encourage their children’s to make independent decisions so that they are not easily influenced by their peers to take the wrong decisions as far as alcohol is concerned. Furthermore, parents should set appropriate limits like curfews and check-in times and exercise some form of punishment when teenagers do not adhere to these.

Finally, as like I stated before, the blame should not only be pinned on parents but teenagers should also take responsibility for their actions. Teenagers need to know that alcohol comes with a lot of health hazards and should thus wait for the appropriate age to start drinking. Even when you start drinking please do so responsibly.

Until next time. Peri nawa!!

shona@namibiansun.com