As Bengaluru counts down to New Year’s Eve, doctors warn of alcohol risks

As Bengaluru counts down to New Year’s Eve, doctors warn of the health risks associated with heavy drinking and substance use.

Citing a Lancet study, Dr Naveen Thomas, paediatric surgeon and former director of Bangalore Baptist Hospital, warns that the consumption of alcohol impairs the brain’s frontal lobe functioning. Alcohol, a proven carcinogen, increases the long-term risk of cancers of the stomach, liver, breast and gastrointestinal tract, he adds. 

An expert in adolescent medicine says mass media romanticising drinking, coupled with peer pressure, is drawing teenagers towards alcohol. Easy access through unsupervised house parties, fake IDs, and poor scrutiny at MRP stores is compounding the problem. “Alcohol stimulates parts of the teenage brain that are more vulnerable to addiction. Their prefrontal cortex is not fully mature,” she explains.

She also warns against binge drinking patterns. This refers to men consuming more than five drinks or women having four drinks within two hours. It can lead to alcohol poisoning, cognitive impairment, severe gastritis, and suppression of protective reflexes. Alcohol intoxication can also lead to loss of muscle coordination, leading to a failure of airway reflexes during vomiting and increasing the risk of death, she adds.