Dear Doctor,

I can’t sleep before taking a glass of waragi. I absolutely feel normal because I don’t get drunk. Could this be sign of addiction? 

Daxbatcher

Dear Daxbatcher,

Not able to sleep without a glass of waragi is definitely a sign of addiction. Addiction is the state when one cannot do without alcohol. When one starts to drink alcohol on a regular basis, the body slowly gets habituated to it. After drinking, alcohol reaches the brain easily and freely. Therefore brain cells also get habituated to it. These factors create physical and mental dependence on alcohol, where one starts to feel sick without it. This manifests in different ways, like inability to sleep, sweating, trembling of hands, etc.

Addiction depends on quantity and type of alcohol consumed, duration of drinking, mental make up and overall health of a person. Waragi is a triple distilled spirit and has about 40 percent of alcohol by volume which is pretty high. Inability to sleep is one problem, but unknowingly, gradually it can damage the liver, stomach, pancreas, heart, nervous system and blood vessels of the body. It can also become a cause for sexual impotence.

Considering the harmful effects on the body, it is better to quit before any serious health problem occurs.

If one has a strong mind and determination, alcohol can be given up without problem. Try to do some light creative work till exhausted and sleep gets in automatically. Reading some good literature, listening to soft music are some options. In case of troublesome withdrawal symptoms, mild sedatives and tranquilizer drugs are used to help overcome them. It is also important to take a balanced nutritious diet because alcohol supplies no nutrients, rather it deprives the body of vitamin B.complex.

Dr Rachna Pande  is a specialist in internal medicine at Ruhengeri Hospital