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Total Alcohol Consumption as an Index of Anxiety among Urbanised Africans
Author(s) -
Serebro Boris
Publication year - 1972
Publication title -
british journal of addiction to alcohol and other drugs
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.424
H-Index - 193
eISSN - 1360-0443
pISSN - 0007-0890
DOI - 10.1111/j.1360-0443.1972.tb01204.x
Subject(s) - consumption (sociology) , population , demography , anxiety , alcohol consumption , alcohol , bantu languages , geography , medicine , environmental health , socioeconomics , sociology , psychiatry , chemistry , social science , biochemistry , linguistics , philosophy
Summary A relationship exists between anxiety and alcoholism; and as alcohol is an anxiolytic substance, any increase in prevailing alcoholism in a racial or national group is an index of anxiety in such a group. The increase in prevailing alcoholism based on total consumption has been noted on two occasions in respect of an influx controlled African population group, living in an African township in the South Western area of Johannesburg. On the first occasion, in 1969, 5 in this racial group there was an increase of total Bantu beer (3 per cent concentration] consumption from 15 million gallons per annum to nearly 30 million gallons per annum. Over a period of seven years the total consumption had doubled. On a second occasion recently we noticed a most significant drop in total Bantu beer consumption with a significant rise in total European type liquor consumption (40 per cent concentration), 12 in this same population controlled African group. In 1969 5 with the rise in the total Bantu beer consumption, we indicated that anxiety was present and its level was high, a situation confirmed by social workers and ministers of religion in close contact with, these people; presently on the second occasion, we have sufficient evidence (Table 2) to indicate that there has been compute change in the drinking pattern in this same African race group. The fact that this group has changed over from relatively mild traditional alcoholic beverage,1 to the use of high alcohol content loquor, with a rising total consumption, is indicative of the fact that anxiety is present and is maximal.