Alcoholism

Alcohol abuse is the greatest Polish weakness and our national vice. Nobody knows

the exact number of alcohol addicts in Poland. Some sources reveal that there are about 5

million heavy drinkers in our country, and about 1 million people require special treatment.

Although alcohol abuse is a serious problem, Polish society seems to be very tolerant

towards drunkards. In fact, drinking alcohol is a kind of generally accepted social custom.

Poles drink on every possible occasion: to celebrate a wedding day, the birth of a child,

matriculation exam, first job or promotion. Alcohol is also a common "cure" for family

problems, lack of money, professional failures, depression, loneliness or boredom.

There is, of course, nothing wrong in social drinking at parties or some ceremonies,

but the problem is that many Poles do not know when to stop and they usually drink a lot of

strong liquor instead of wine or beer. The consequences can be disastrous.

Everyone knows that alcohol destroys the health by damaging the brain, liver, heart

and nervous system. At the same time, it also ruins family life. Alcohol abuse leads to

quarrels, acts of violence and divorces. Often the children from an alcoholic background are

emotionally disturbed and their physical development is retarded. In many cases they

become heavy drinkers even before they hit the legal drinking age.

To make things worse, statistics indicate that alcoholics are dangerous to public order

and safety. Recent figures show a rapid increase in the number of crimes committed under

the influence of alcohol. Also the number of road accidents caused by drunk drivers is

constantly growing. At the lowest estimate, about 20 per cent of all car accidents result from

drunk-driving. And no one is able to say how many innocent people have lost their lives or

have been injured in these accidents.

In the past, most alcoholics tried to hide their addiction. Those who had undergone

treatment in anti-alcohol centres were very unwilling to admit it. It was something very

embarrassing and shameful, something that should have been forgotten. However, this

attitude has changed recently. Nowadays, more famous people talk openly about their

alcohol addiction and encourage others to give up drinking. There are also many groups

which voluntarily engage in anti-alcohol education. One of the best-known self-help groups

for alcoholics is Alcoholics Anonymous operating in many cities in Poland. Both

organizations and social movements provide a sign of hope for Polish people. Although they

are not able to combat alcoholism altogether, they are often successful in convincing some

alcohol addicts that it is better to remain sober.

alcohol abuse - nadużywanie alkocholu

weakness - słabość

alcohol addict - człowiek uzleżniony od alkocholu

heavy drinker - pijak

treatment - leczenie

drunkard - nałogowy pijak

social custom - obyczaj towarzski

to celebrate - uczcić

cure - lekarstwo

professional failures - niepowodzenia zawodowe

social drinking - picie towarzyskie

to know no bounds - nie znać granic

strong liquor - mocny trunek

to damage brain - uszkadzać mózg

physical development - rozwój fizyczny

retarded - opóźniony

to hide one's addiction - ukryć nałóg

embarrassing - krępujący

shameful - haniebny

to encourage - zachęcać

voluntarily - ochotniczo

social movement - ruch społeczny

to combat alcoholism - zwalczyć alkoholism

sober - trzeźwy

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