Iran's 'hidden' alcoholism problem

Mmegi Online - Iranian health officials have expressed deep concern over rising alcohol intake, calling for measures to tackle the issue. The warning is significant given that Iran banned alcohol after the 1979 Islamic revolution.But there is no consensus on how to address the problem. Some authorities have tried to cover up the issue.Although there had been warnings by low-key figures over the level of alcohol intake, it was a recent statement by a senior health official that led to an intense debate about how to tackle the problem.

"We receive worrying reports from hospitals and physicians about an increase in alcohol consumption in the southern districts of Tehran," said Baqer Larijani, the head of the Health Ministry's Policy-Making Council. Abbasali Nasehi, the director-general of the Health Ministry's Mental Health Department, expressed similar concerns, saying:

"We have little information about alcohol addiction in the country. We have around two million [drug] addicts in the country, and some of them are also addicted to alcohol."Iran's police chief, Esmail Ahmadi-Moqaddam, had previously said there were only 200,000 alcoholics in Iran, but others had cast doubts about the figure, saying it would be higher.

Another concern raised by health officials and the police is a rise in drink-driving. In 2011-2012, Iran's police withdrew the driving licences of 829 drivers, including 43 women, who had failed to pass alcohol and drug tests.

Most recently, alcohol tests taken from drivers in Tehran in the period of 20 April-20 May showed that 26 percent of them were drunk. It is difficult to make an exact comparison between drink driving in Tehran and other capital cities because of a lack of accurate information. But a comparison with the findings of London's Metropolitan Police might be helpful. For example, during the Met Police's drink-drive campaign from December 1-3, 2008, over 13,500 breath tests were administered and more than 1,100 people, or around nine percent, were arrested. A further major concern of Iranian health officials is a general unwillingness among relevant authorities to admit to such problems.

"As the consumption of alcoholic drinks is haram [religiously forbidden], some officials are just trying to conceal the facts... But the lack of data on alcohol consumption and consumers is itself a serious threat," wrote a conservative news website on 15 May.

Even the chief of police, Ahmadi-Moqaddam, has criticised the attempts to conceal data on alcohol abuse."There have always been attempts to conceal alcohol-related problems in the country, but alcohol consumption and an increase in alcoholism are facts."

Lucrative market
Based on statistics available in 2011, every year around $730 million (P5.5 billion) worth of alcoholic drinks are smuggled into Iran. Some 80 percent of the alcohol is brought in through its Western border, from Iraqi Kurdistan.

Police were able to seize just a quarter of the smuggled alcohol. Reports suggest that some 80m litres of alcohol are bootlegged in Iran every yearAccording to the border police, the amount of alcohol seized in the year ending March 2012 increased by 69 percent. But "at best, the amount of alcohol that is confiscated is only 20 to 30 percent of the total volume of alcohol in the country," said Hasan Musavi-Chelak, the head of the Social Workers Society.

It is estimated that around 60 million to 80 million litres of alcoholic drinks are smuggled to Iran each year. This amount is in addition to the spirits made domestically, including the popular "araq" made from fermenting and distilling raisins. (BBC)