Empowering individuals, families, and communities for the prevention, reduction, and withdrawal of alcohol abuse

Abstract

Aim: To empower individuals, families, and the community to avoid or reduce use of alcoholic drinks. Methods: The study design was a combined, community-based participatory action research, with multiple steps and various tools to cover a variety of quantitative and qualitative data. Results: There were 404 alcohol drinkers among the 966 community participants, reflecting the widespread prevalence of drinking behaviour. The main contributory factors included personal initiation, peer persuasion, family or parental influence, and the social norm of drinking alcohol as a means of establishing social relations in everyday life. The results revealed that alcoholic drinking could start in childhood, as children and adolescents are tempted to try alcohol through the social learning process. While alcohol drinking seemed to denote a step towards becoming adults and a sign of freedom from parental control for young male drinkers, peer persuasion and social interaction were key reasons for female drinkers. The public advertising of alcohol through mass media was also an important motivational factor for occasional drinkers to become regular ones. Conclusions: Focus group discussions and home-visit activities were able to persuade 26 participants to stop drinking and 90 others to reduce drinking by raising individual and family awareness about alcohol's life-threatening effects. Changing perceptions of drinkers and increasing concerns about ill health due to alcohol drinking were influential factors, and social support from family and community social networks was also crucial. Convincing individuals, families, and communities to avoid or reduce alcohol drinking practices needs an integrated, multidisciplinary approach and measures that operate at multiple levels - governmental, non-governmental and local community organisations, and the drinkers themselves, their families, and social networks. The participatory approach will be key to bringing about community empowerment and sustainable development. © 2008 Scientific Communications International Limited.