Abstinence for a month is all it took Babuji to quit alcohol forever

As part of a series on raising awareness against the harmful effects of alcohol, here’s the story of Babuji who took to drinking after his wife’s death. His son introduced him to an online campaign which demands abstinence from alcohol for a month. Here’s what led Babuji to quit alcohol forever after restraining himself for 30 days.

Gaon Connection
| Updated: January 9th, 2022

The death of his mother had radically changed the way of life in his household. It seemed like all that was good and positive had escaped from the confines of the four walls of his house. To make matters worse, his father, whom he called ‘Babuji’ , had fallen prey to alcoholism and daily drinking was the new norm.

Babuji had taken up drinking alcohol in his middle age but ever since he lost his wife six years back, there hadn’t been a day when he hadn’t drunk.

Gaon Connection has collaborated with the World Health Organization (WHO) for an awareness campaign that seeks to inform people about the harmful effects of alcohol. The story of Babuji’s struggle with alcohol is part of the awareness campaign that involves videos, audio stories and memes that narrate the experiences of real-life former alcoholics as well fictitious protagonists who have won the battle against alcoholism.

Also Read: Here’s what it took for an alcoholic to realise that his family has had enough and it’s time to quit

Guddi, Babuji’s daughter, was deeply affected by the dual tragedies of her mother’s death and his father’s plunge to alcoholism. She hadn’t laughed for years and kept to herself.

Every morning, dining table conversation instilled a short-lived hope in the hearts of the siblings who were assured by Babuji that he’ll take better care of his failing health and would go on morning walks from the next day.

But hangovers after an evening of heavy drinking kept Babuji from keeping his promise.

Dry January campaign and a month of abstinence 

On one such morning when the protagonist, his sister and Babuji came together to have breakfast at the dining table, Babuji was told about a public health campaign that requires people to quit drinking for a month in January.

“Get your fun back, get your energy back, get your YOU back,” Guddi read from the website of the public health campaign and as her voice began to break into crying, she left the dining room and excused herself.

Also Read: We asked some young people about their addictions — here’s what gives them a ‘high’

Sensing her daughter’s sorrow, Babuji too went inside his room and returned with the bottle of liquor and handed it over to his son.

While holding the bottle, his trembling hands felt as if he was an infant who was afraid of losing his balance as he learned to walk.

Abstaining from alcohol for a month wasn’t easy.

Babuji often got angry and was visibly irritated when withdrawal symptoms kicked in but he was determined to stay away from drinking for a month.

In such times, when irritation and anger took over Babuji, the brother-sister duo ensured that he was kept engaged in positivity. They sat together and spent time watching old albums.

This had a soothing effect on Babuji. Soon his mind was distracted from desiring alcohol and he began to narrate old incidents that were fondly etched in his memory.

After a month of abstinence

“Those thirty days felt like thirty months,” the protagonist is quoted in the story.

Everyday, it felt as if Babuji would forget his promise and pour out a drink from the bottle and all the progress made in convincing him to abstain would be lost. But Babuji successfully completed his month of abstinence.

Also Read: A father chose alcohol over responsibilities until the day his 12-year-old son didn’t return home

“I’ll eat a samosa today. My blood pressure is in control after so many years, I have shed two kilos of weight too!” an excited Babuji said.

It felt as if the improvement in his health and a peek into a life without alcohol had changed him.

But after having snacks in the evening at the local confectionery shop, Babuji asked his son to go to his house and mentioned that he had to go somewhere important.

His son was tense. Sensing his fears, Babuji quickly assured his son that he won’t let a month of determination go waste and won’t ever drink again.

“I just need to go and tell about this dry January campaign to my friends with whom I wish to play chess like before. It is important that they stay healthy for me to be able to enjoy a game of chess with them,” Babuji said with a bright smile on his face.

Also Read: Some gulps of beer and a lifetime of guilt

Alcohol’s impact on health

According to a fact sheet prepared by the WHO, worldwide, three million deaths every year result from harmful use of alcohol. This represents 5.3 per cent of all deaths.

“Overall 5.1 % of the global burden of disease and injury is attributable to alcohol, as measured in disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). Alcohol consumption causes death and disability relatively early in life. In the age group 20–39 years approximately 13.5 % of the total deaths are alcohol-attributable. There is a causal relationship between harmful use of alcohol and a range of mental and behavioural disorders, other noncommunicable conditions as well as injuries,” WHO mentioned in its article dated September 21, 2018. 

Also, India’s National Health Portal, designed by the  Union Ministry of Health and Family  Welfare mentions that in 2005 the estimated numbers of people using alcohol in India was 62.5 million with 17.4  per cent of them (10.6  million) having alcohol use disorder and of all hospital admissions in India 20 per cent-30 per cent are due to alcohol related problems.

Also Read: Alcoholism can be conquered and here’s ‘how’ Bhushan did it

“Alcohol use is widely prevalent in Indian society and consequently results in widespread losses in the form of injurious physical health outcomes like cirrhosis of liver, heart disease, diabetes as well as leads to absenteeism, road traffic accidents and various mental health and behavioural problems, the portal mentions.