DUBAI// Parents who suffer problems with alcohol could unwittingly lead their children down a path to addiction, child psychologists warn.
A family history of alcohol abuse was regarded as a key trigger for children who go on to experiment with alcohol and develop an addiction later in life, a seminar on dependency issues staged by Alcoholics Anonymous in Dubai was told.
Anne-Marie D’Mello is a registered mental health nurse at the Camali Clinic in Dubai, who has worked in a substance abuse service in Scotland.
“Often young people who have parents who misuse or are dependent on alcohol go on to have issues with alcohol or other substances in adulthood,” she said.
“Children and adolescents do not have the ability to understand the risks and consequences of drinking, and can be more impulsive because their brains are not fully developed.
“Therefore, many young people drink alcohol as they are not able to use the ‘self-control switch’ in the brain. That would allow them to assess the situation, plan ahead, recognise the consequences of drinking and stop themselves from choosing to drink alcohol,” she said.
Alcohol is illegal for Muslims and non-Muslims under the age of 21 in all of the emirates except Abu Dhabi, where it is forbidden to those under the age of 18.
The World Health Organisation stated that there were 3.3 million global deaths every year resulting from harmful use of alcohol, representing 5.9 per cent of all fatalities.
Compared with elsewhere, alcohol-related death rates in the GCC region are low.
According to researchers at World Health Rankings, the latest available statistics show 0.03 deaths per population of 100,000 in the UAE, compared with 0.07 in Qatar and 0.05 in Saudi Arabia.
Countries with the highest rates are Estonia, with 22.03 deaths per 100,000 people, and Lithuania with a rate of 14.77.
In the UK, the rankings show there are 1.70 drink-related deaths for every 100,000 people.
Dr Fareeha Amber Sadiq, a consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist at the Camali Clinic, said: “For young people living in the UAE, alcohol is more difficult to access because of legislation.
“Alcohol abuse is less of a problem compared to other parts of the world, but it can still happen.
“My view is that young people should still receive health promotion guidance regarding the physical and mental health impact and legalities of using it.
“This will help young people to make the right decisions if they are in a situation where alcohol is available.”
A A offers a lifeline to alcoholics in the region, with regular meetings and helplines in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah and Al Ain.
Thursday’s forum took place as a backdrop to a meeting of the Middle East regional committee of A A this Friday and Saturday at the Grand Excelsior Hotel, Bur Dubai.
James, 58, moved to Dubai from London 15 years ago, and told the forum his family helped shape his attitudes towards alcohol as a teenager.
“I came from a family of alcoholics; my grandfather and father were both alcoholics,” he said.
By the age of 30, he was addicted.
“Alcohol changed my personality and destroyed my life. I was at the end of the road. I was unemployed, homeless and divorced,” he said.
“Mine is a rock-bottom story. I lived to drink, my entire life was organised around alcohol.
“Going to A A is the greatest thing I ever did. After much carnage, I got sober in London in 1987. I was lucky to survive.”
He now helps others to get the assistance they need with the UAE branch of A A.
To contact the road to sobriety hotline, available in Hindi and English, call 050 3535285.
nwebster@thenational.ae
