God's own country has been often dubbed as a top liquor consumer, but an official national-level survey doesn't support this view.
Official statistics prove that Kerala is far behind other states in terms of alcohol consumption. The number of Keralites who hit the bottle is also dipping.
As per the National Family Health Survey 2015-16 (NFHS-4), only 37 per cent men consume alcohol in Kerala, far behind states like Arunachal Pradesh ( 59 per cent), Tripura (57 per cent) and Telangana (54 per cent).
Kerala is 18th in terms of alcohol consumption among men.
The percentage of men who drink in Kerala have also reduced considerably from the 45 per cent in the previous NFHS survey of 2005-06.
This change is in sync with the national trend as the proportion of men who consume alcohol in the country also declined slightly from 32 per cent to 29 per cent.
The National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) data also back the declining trend.
According to the NSSO's 2011-12 consumption data, per person consumption of alcohol in Andhra Pradesh was 34.5 liters. Keralites consume only 10.2 litres per year.
How women fare?
Interestingly, women who consume alcohol in Kerala have increased from 0.7 per cent to 1.6 per cent.
Strangely, the proportion of women who drink in India decreased from 2 per cent to 1 per cent, though there will be few takers for this survey result if one goes by palpable trends, at least, in the metros. The survey needn't portray the exact situation on this count as women, unlike men, who take liquor are unlikely to disclose the truth when asked.
The percentage of women in the age group of 15-49 who drink alcohol is by far the highest in Arunachal Pradesh (26 per cent ) and Sikkim (23 per cent ).
Among those who drink alcohol in India, only 12 per cent men drink everyday, whereas 18 per cent women drink every day.
As per NFHS-4 data, drinking of alcohol is more common among women from scheduled tribes (7 per cent ).
Christians top
The data released by the Ministry of Family Health and Planning show that Christians, both men (43 per cent) and women (4 per cent), booze most in the country.
The family health planning data also show that poverty and education play major roles in alcohol consumption.
People from the lowest income bracket and those without any schooling consume alcohol the most, though these socio-economic characteristics don't hold much relevance for Christians in the country.
Health concern
The fact that Kerala is not the biggest consumer of alcohol in India doesn't mean that there is no need to worry. “Alcohol consumption is a major cause of various ailments in Kerala,” said Rajeev Sadanandan, IAS, additional chief secretary, department of health and family welfare.
World Health Organisation's (WHO) global status report on alcohol and health says that 3.3 million people died globally due to alcohol-related ailments.
Besides health issues, alcohol consumption also triggers various issues including accidents, mental disorders and interpersonal violence. Alcoholism is the leading cause of liver cirrhosis in the country.
In 2014, the then-UDF government had announced a policy of phased prohibition, but it was changed after the LDF government came to power. Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said that his government believes in abstinence and not prohibition.
Read: Latest Kerala News
