The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Alcohol

  • ‘Excess alcohol ‘ll affect puberty rate in adolescents’

    Adolescents have been advised to stay away from consuming excessive alcohol as it affects their puberty rate, physical and mental well-being.

    Former National President, Nigerian Institute of Food Science and Technology, Mrs Dolapo Coker gave the advice at an event organised the Nigerian Breweries. The theme was Beer and lifestyle.

    Mrs Coker, who spoke on Beer, women and healthy living, advised  Nigerians to engage in good nutrition to make their skin glow. Foods in their right state and amount would fight diseases, she added.

    Mrs Coker also advised nursing mothers to breastfeed their babies exclusively, adding that they should avoid taking alcohol because it might reduce the rapid production of milk by the mammary gland.

    Expectant mothers, she added, should avoid alcohol as it might lead to miscarriage and baby malformation.

  • ‘Restrict sale of alcohol’

    ‘Restrict sale of alcohol’

    The Buhari-Osinbajo International Civil Reactivation Vanguard has appealed to the Federal Government to introduce a law banning the consumption of alcohol during the day.

    The group said operation of alcohol stores should be restricted to 12pm to 12am.

    A statement by its coordinator, Primate Ayoola Omonigbehin, said the unrestricted sale of alcohol and drugs in the country is responsible for the increasing crimes and insurgency.

    “We can experience the new Buhari regime in the renewed fight against insurgency, but we must start these principles from our streets, areas and nation,” he said.

     

  • I never smoked or drank alcohol in my 30 yrs as a musician, says Ras Kimono

    I never smoked or drank alcohol in my 30 yrs as a musician, says Ras Kimono

    Veteran reggae artiste, Ras Kimono has decried the heavy use of drugs and alcohol by young Nigerian entertainers. Speaking to The Nation, the root reggae crooner said, “With the rate at which our young entertainers are abusing drugs, and alcohol, many of them will be raving mad, in asylums, or rehab in the next 10 years”.

    He opined that many youngsters fail to heed the fact that so many lives have been wasted by the twin evils of alcoholism, and drug addiction in different parts of the world over the years from Canada, to Europe, Africa, and the United States.

    The practicing Rastafarian who is a vegetarian, and  neither smokes nor drinks stated that contrary to the Ganja (Marijuana) smoking culture associated with reggae music, which has its roots in the Jamaican culture, “I have never smoked ,nor drank alcohol in my over thirty years as a musician. There are a number of reggae musicians who do not abuse drugs, nor drink alcohol.”

    Speaking further, he urged aspiring musicians to focus on improving their music craftsmanship, and learn how to play musical instruments rather than seeking cheap popularity to acquire many women.

    Although an Asaba, Delta State indigene, the father of five prefers to be identified as an African, following the ideological footsteps of African statesmen like Chief Nnamdi Azikiwe of Nigeria, and Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana; who believed in the unity of the African continent.

  • Harmful effects of alcohol on teenagers (2)

    AN alcoholic is well acquainted with depression (a bout of severe and prolonged sadness and hopelessness) which, if not controlled, can compel a person to drink instead of acting as a solution, it will actually increase the state of depression. The pain of such emotions heightened by the chemicals affecting his system often exceeds other form of depression. In addition, an alcoholic will typically experience fatal blow to his or her self- esteem. The feeling of no will power sets in. tragically. Such feeling of low self-worth tends only to drive him/her to drink which, if not dealt with, will deepen his/her conviction of worthlessness.

    Personality distortion is another effect of alcohol. An alcoholic becomes nearly unrecognizable to many family members and friends. Too much alcohol changes the person from the person they use to be. Things that were once priorities are no longer important. Former values and interests are abandoned. A teen that meticulously takes care of his/her appearance may often appear frumpy and dishevelled as a result of the intake of much alcohol.  The involvement with alcohol will definitely affect the teen’s perception of reality and ability to make good decisions. This can be really bad for teenagers that already have less problem-solving and decision-making experience. Other effects can be classified as long-term and short-term effects.

    Under short-term effects, we have distorted vision, hearing and coordination; altered perceptions and emotions and impaired judgment which may lead to accidents, drowning and other risky behaviour like unsafe sex and the use of drugs. Bad breath and hangover are not left out.

    However, the long-term effects are as follows: cirrhosis, cancer of the liver, loss of appetite, serious vitamin deficiencies, stomach ailments, increase in the risk of impotence, high risk for over dosing, memory loss and the damage of the heart central nervous system.

    A young person, who is struggling with alcoholism, is in acute and urgent need of help. Even if the teenager has not progressed far into alcoholism, even if he/she does not perceive his or her own need of help, the parents/guardians must wisely and diligently seek to bring help and healing.

    Gently but firmly guide the teenager to recognize and admit the problem. These questions may help.

    Do you sometimes look forward to drinking when you should be doing something else?

    When you are drinking, do you drink as much as you can as quickly as possible?

    Do you ever end up drinking more than you or others think you should? (A yes answer to this question indicates a 90 per cent likelihood of a drinking problem}.

    Do you ever drink alone not necessarily physically alone. Friends may be present but not involved with the drinker?

    Do you try to protect your supply of alcohol in order to make sure you’re not short when you need it?

    When you’re upset or sad, do you ever think, “If I could just have a drink more than you used to while remaining remarkably functional?

    Do you ever have trouble remembering things you did or said while drinking?

    Moving on if the young person answers “yes” to four or more of the above questions. It is likely that he or she has a drinking problem. On the other hand, if the teenager refuses to answer honestly or is resistant, offer calm but consistent evidence, sticking as much as possible to a non-threatening questioning style. Then present specific instances to the teenager rather than general accusations.

    Be a good role model. Consider how your use of alcohol may influence your child. You may want to consider offering or buying only non- alcoholic beverages at home once you notice that your number of bottles keeps decreasing in the fridge. Educate yourself about alcohol, so you can be a better teacher to your child. Read and collect information that you can share with your child and others, even when they have not started tasting alcohol.

    Try to be conscious of how you can help build your child’s self -esteem. For instance, children are more likely to feel good about themselves, if you emphasize on their strengths. Teach your child different approaches to tackle how to deal with offers of alcohol. Teach your child to ask questions. Once an unknown substance is offered, he/she should ask “what is it”, “where did you get it?” Remind your child to always leave a place once he or she feels uncomfortable. Encourage them to say “no thanks” if he/she is offered alcoholic drink.

    Teach them never to accept a ride from someone who has been drinking. As parents/guardians, we should not be judgmental once we notice that a child is going through this challenge, but rather we should offer help. Some might need medical attention as the case might be. Under no circumstances should you let an alcoholic try to overcome his or her alcoholism without considerable and professional help.

     

    Harriet ogbobine is a counselor and a motivational speaker. Send your questions and suggestions to her on bineharriet@gmail.com or txt message only 08023058805. You can also follow her on twitter: @bineharrietj

  • Harmful effects of alcohol on teenagers

    DEAR Harriet, I am a teenager. My initial adventure of stealing a bottle of beer is gradually becoming a habit which I don’t like.  Please, explain my situation to me better. May be, it will aid me to put an end to it.

    Name withheld,

    Port Harcourt.

     

    It starts, of course, with experimentation. Some young ones try things like alcohol, cigarettes or, even drugs, for several reasons.  Many teenagers, after such experimentation, find their curiosity satisfied and thereafter abstain from alcohol.

    Others, however, continue to drink, sharing a few bottles when they are out on events or sneaking a few swigs from the bottle of wine in the refrigerator. Some of them become problem drinkers, occasionally drinking to get drunk, perhaps even driving while intoxicated. Still, others succumb to alcoholism.

    It is very important to know the causes of alcohol use and abuse. Complex problems rarely have simple causes and alcoholism is a complex problem. Mental health and health care professionals differ as to the primary causes of alcoholism, but the following are generally acknowledged as factors;

    Physiology: Many studies support the view that alcoholism springs from a physiological source. That is, some people possess an inborn predisposition towards alcoholism. This predisposition may never be discovered in people who never experiment with alcohol, but for physiological reasons, those who do will experience a different reaction to alcohol than many of their friends.

    Background: Teens with family members who have problems with alcohol or other drugs are more likely to have serious substance abuse problems. Also, teens who feel that they are not connected to or valued by their parents are at greater risk. Teens with poor self-esteem or emotional or mental health problems, such as  depression, also are at increased risk.

    In addition, three factors that can affect the likelihood of alcoholism are as follows: Parental models, parental attitude and cultural expectations.

    Parent models: Children look up to their parents, so how parents behave often influences the subsequent attitude of children. When parents drink excessively or abuse drugs, children sometimes vow to completely abstain. More often, however, they follow the parental example. It has been estimated that “without intervention, 40 to 60 per cent of children of alcoholic parents become alcoholic themselves.”

    Parental attitude: Parental permissiveness and parental rejection can both stimulate chemical use and abuse. When parents don’t care whether or not the children drink, there is no concern about the dangers of drugs or alcohol and misuse often follows.

    Culture expectations: If a culture or subcultural group has clear guidelines about the use of alcohol or drugs, abuse is less likely. In some cultures, young people are allowed to drink not to get drunk, while to  some, getting ”high” is the in thing to do. Conditions set up which lead many to alcohol abuse.

    Among other factors are outside forces, such as a dysfunctional family environment, peer pressure and stress without becoming alcoholics.

    Furthermore, the effects of alcohol use and abuse are also very vital. They should not be overlooked. Many people assume they know the effects of alcoholism, so they really don’t need somebody telling them. Such an assumption, however, is not only incomplete, it is incorrect. A drunken person is not always an alcoholic and some alcoholics are seldom visibly drunk. There are, however, some effects of alcoholism that can generally apply.

    Anguish: Alcoholics frequently experience a combination of physical and mental pain that can only be characterized as anguish. The alcoholic wonders if he or she is going crazy, fearing that he or she has lost control or will soon. The alcoholic becomes intensely frustrated about his life. Some have all sort of stuff going through their minds and they say different things as well. Some hate life as if they are being punished by God. It is a whole lot. Steve Arterburn, the author of “Growing up Addicted”, says: “It is as if a big black cloud of everything negative and unpleasant about life is hovering over the alcoholic”

    Another effect is confusion and disorientation. The alcoholic will experience a variety of mental effects. An intelligent student, for example, may find it difficult or impossible to focus his or her mind. They may routinely forget names, dates, details and appointments. He or she may even experience occasional blackouts. A blackout is not to be confused with passing out. It is a state in which a person who appears to be functioning consciously and normally cannot later recall anything that happened during the blackout period. The blackout is considered by many experts to be a primary indicator of alcoholism.

    More so is the issue of losing control. This aspect can be characterised as the ability to predict the drinking behaviour once drinking has begun. It doesn’t mean that a person can’t stop drinking for two or three weeks. When the drinking does begin, the desired two drinks become the uncontrollable five. Victims find it very hard to control their emotions as well. The alcoholic may find himself or herself breaking into tears or uproarious laughter at inappropriate times, for example. Some can find themselves getting involved in some acts that under normal circumstances will not participate.

    To be continued.

     

    Harriet ogbobine is a counselor and a motivational speaker. Send your questions and suggestions to her on bineharriet@gmail.com or txt message only 08023058805. You can also follow her on twitter: @bineharrietj

  • Alcohol, hemp-smoking crash marriage

    After about two years of irreconcilable differences orchestrated by the husband’s alleged excessive alcoholism and hemp smoking, a Lagos court yesterday dissolved the marriage between Segun Falaye and his wife, Celestina.

    The Customary Court in Igando, a Lagos suburb, ordered that the couple should cease to be husband and wife immediately.

    The petitioner, Celestina (33), a business woman, had filed a suit seeking the dissolution of her marriage, citing her husband’s heavy drinking and hemp smoking habit.

    “My husband takes alcoholic drinks excessively and gets drunk after which he falls inside gutter, misbehaving and disgracing me,” she told the court.

    Celestina said after smoking hemp, her former husband had always behaved strangely.

    “My husband is always mentally disturbed after smoking hemp …he always descends on me giving me serious beating,” she added.

    She regretted that the man could not manage the business she established for him as it collapsed two months after.

    Celestina said: “I opened a bookshop for my husband, but he mismanaged it; the capital and the profit were spent on beer. He is lazy and does not want to work. He depends solely on me for feeding, paying the children’s school fees and for house rent.”

    The mother of two pleaded with the court to dissolve the marriage, saying there is no love lost between them.

    However, Falaye (40), who denied some of the allegations, said: “I am used to drinking, but not always. I have never taken Indian hemp before. I take alcoholic drinks moderately not excessively. I used to pay the bills when I was working, but now that I have no job I cannot steal to fend for my family. My wife controls and commands me like a baby, all because she pays the bills. My wife is aggressive; she gets angry easily and always.’’

    He, however, urged the court not to grant his wife’s request for the dissolution of the marriage, saying: “I still love her.”

    The court’s President, Mr Ruphus Adeyeri, who said all efforts to reconcile both parties were unsuccessful, ruled: “Both parties are no longer husband and wife; they are free to go their separate ways.”

  • Alcohol, hemp-smoking crash marriage

    After about two years of irreconcilable differences orchestrated by the husband’s alleged excessive alcoholism and hemp smoking, a Lagos court yesterday dissolved the marriage between Segun Falaye and his wife, Celestina.

    The Customary Court in Igando, a Lagos suburb, ordered that the couple should cease to be husband and wife immediately.

    The petitioner, Celestina (33), a business woman, had filed a suit seeking the dissolution of her marriage, citing her husband’s heavy drinking and hemp smoking habit.

    “My husband takes alcoholic drinks excessively and gets drunk after which he falls inside gutter, misbehaving and disgracing me,” she told the court.

    Celestina said after smoking hemp, her former husband had always behaved strangely.

    “My husband is always mentally disturbed after smoking hemp …he always descends on me giving me serious beating,” she added.

    She regretted that the man could not manage the business she established for him as it collapsed two months after.

    Celestina said: “I opened a bookshop for my husband, but he mismanaged it; the capital and the profit were spent on beer. He is lazy and does not want to work. He depends solely on me for feeding, paying the children’s school fees and for house rent.”

    The mother of two pleaded with the court to dissolve the marriage, saying there is no love lost between them.

    However, Falaye (40), who denied some of the allegations, said: “I am used to drinking, but not always. I have never taken Indian hemp before. I take alcoholic drinks moderately not excessively. I used to pay the bills when I was working, but now that I have no job I cannot steal to fend for my family. My wife controls and commands me like a baby, all because she pays the bills. My wife is aggressive; she gets angry easily and always.’’

    He, however, urged the court not to grant his wife’s request for the dissolution of the marriage, saying: “I still love her.”

    The court’s President, Mr Ruphus Adeyeri, who said all efforts to reconcile both parties were unsuccessful, ruled: “Both parties are no longer husband and wife; they are free to go their separate ways.”

  • Beyond alcohol, benefits of drinking beer

    Beyond alcohol, benefits of drinking beer

    Let me commence this contribution to this historical conference on Beer and the Healthy Lifestyle by expressing my gratitude to organisers of this symposium, for the invitation to chair and speak at this occasion. I am particularly gratified that that at last the Nigerian beer drinkard (as the Nigerian writer would have put it) is being served by a Nigerian conference. Beer has been an important component of a healthy life style in human history for over four thousand years. It continues to be.

    My particular interest in beer and other beverages such as palm wine and grape wine began long ago, as a boy sent by my grandfather to harvest the juice of the palm tree which had been cut down and laid horizontal for easy collection. Later travels and further immersion in lifestyles led to particular passion for the ultimate relationship between alcohol and beer.

    Each area of human manipulation and invention contains an abiding puzzle. With car making it is always to invent a car that would, like the horse that inspired the automobile, move itself without a rider. The invention of automatic transmission brought that day forward. Today self-driving cars are being tested and we might have soon self-driving cars competing with life horses on the race course!

    In the field of aeroplanes, it would be the one that would fly without a pilot. Today, drones fly past birds to do what they need to do. What then is the abiding puzzle in the case of beer brewing? Before I go into this I want to quote some of the major ways that Beer and Beer Brewing has enriched the languages and cultures of the world.

    “It was the accepted practice in ancient Babylonia 4000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride’s father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer, and because their calendar was lunar based, the period was called the ‘honey moon’ – or what we know today as the honey moon.”

    “Before thermometers were invented, brewers would dip a thump or finger into the mix to find the right temperature for adding yeast. Too cold, and the yeast would not grow. Too hot, and the yeast would die. This thumb in the beer is where we get the phrase ‘rule of thumb’.”

    “In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts. So, in Old England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them to mind their own pints and quarts and settled down. It’s where we get the phrase mind your p’s and q’s!”

    “Beer, we are told, was the reason the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. It’s clear from the Mayflower’s log that the crew did not want to waste beer looking for a better site. The log goes on to state that the passengers were hasted ashore and made to drink water so that the seamen might have the more beer.”

    “After consuming a bucket or even two of a vibrant brew they called ‘aul’ or ‘ale’, the Vikings would head fearlessly into battle often without armour or even shirts. In fact, the term ‘berserk’ means ‘bare shirt’ in Norse, and eventually took on the meaning of their wild battles.”

    “In 1740 Admiral Vernon of the British fleet decided to water-down the navy’s rum. Needless to say, the sailors were not too pleased and called Admiral Vernon Old Grog, after the stiff wool grogram coats he wore. The term ‘grog’ soon began to mean watered down drink itself. When you were drunk on this grog, you were ‘groggy’, a word still in use today.”

    I remember that one particular brand of beer Becks had been so domesticated that when my Uncle called for his Abeke I knew where to go and bring her!

    Now to go back to that abiding puzzle mentioned in the case of the automobile and aeroplane industries, which is still to be resolved in the industry of brewing of beer. What is the correct alcoholic content to make beer the best beer can be? Whoever can discover that formula would have done in beer brewing what the automobile and aeroplane industries have done for the pleasure car and the aircraft? Brewers have reduced the alcohol content drastically to create Beer Lite. At other times brewers have increased the alcohol content to hasten intake and effective inebriation! And there has been non-alcoholic beer as well.

    In the rest of this presentation I wish to look at the health benefits of each one of these versions of beer: the non-alcoholic, the lite and the high alcoholic content. But let me sound a note of warning. All cultures preach one particular central virtue over and above every other virtue. In the Yoruba culture it is possible to state categorically that moderation, iwotunwosi, the washing of the left hand and of the right hand, is the singular pillar of existence as contained in the Ifa Divination poems “highly valued by the Yoruba as the guardian of Yoruba culture, the wisdom of the ages and the teachings of the ancestors and the divinities.”

    In terms of drink, “to drink moderately is to drink within the limits set by your health, the society in which you live and your obligations towards your family and friends: this means 1 – 3 drinks a day for most men. Women are more sensitive to alcohols, so they are advised to drink less than men: 1 – 2 drinks a day.” This amounts to a quarter litre glass having between 4 and 5 per cent alcohol 10g by volume. This approximates to beer lite.

    Alcohol and the natural raw materials from which beer is brewed are good to drink and are also good for the health. They are not health risks when taken moderately. Foods and drinks consumed by human beings contain both bad fat and good fat. When alcohol is consumed there is an increase of good fat. This is the fat that the body can easily convert to energy. Bad fat has a habit of sitting at the neck or at the guts or anywhere else that would give it space. Alcohol does not contain this bad type of fat.

    There is also medical evidence that alcohol consumption has a blood thinning effect and this leads to the reduction of the tendency of blood to form clots. As we know now blood clots prevent the flow of blood to the heart and the brain thus causing massive heart attacks. It is also true that moderate alcohol consumption reduces the inflammation of the inner linings of the nerves as well as a lower level of insulin resistance. Any alcohol, whether sourced from beer or wine or any other beverage, protects the heart. How much and how often must be governed by the rules of moderation spelt out earlier. The consumption of beer with a meal is considered a better way rather than drinking on an empty stomach.

    Specifically, there are some illnesses and diseases which can be prevented, minimised or completely prevented by the consumption of alcohol. Some of these are Diabetes Mellitus, weakening of the bones (osteoporosis) as a result of the increase in blood of oestrogen associated with alcohol consumption in women. Others are Dementias which is the decline of cognitive ability with the advance of age. Parkinson’s disease, Gallstones and Kidney stones are other illnesses.

    These illnesses and diseases are helped by the presence of flaveroid and silicon, minerals present in beer. Moderate consumption of alcohol creates a feeling of well-being, reducing stress and tension.

     

    Moderate consumption of beer for health effects:

    Beer drinking can make a positive contribution to a healthy diet because of its wholesome raw materials used in brewing beer. These natural raw materials are cereals, hops, yeast and water. There are soluble fibres derivable from the cell walls of barley which are good for human health. All these natural materials contain antioxidants, vitamins especially of the B variation, silicon and fibre. Beer generally on the average is 93 per cent water. As a result beer is a thirst quencher of the first order with low alcohol. Research on alcohol-free beer has shown that these benefits are also present as well. This would mean that it is not only beer that has alcohol content that gives these benefits. So, beyond alcohol, the potential beneficial effects of the natural ingredients of beer are likely to apply to non-alcoholic beer.

    Going further on barley’s soluble fibre, two glasses of beer contains in average 10% of the recommended daily intake of soluble fibre. Some beers can provide up to 30% of this food item. Fibre slows down digestion and absorption of food and reduces cholesterol levels. Cholesterol as we all know or should know helps the risks of heart disease.

    People who drink beer have protection from bacterium helicobacter pylori, a bacterium known to cause the majority of stomach ulcers and may be a risk of stomach cancer.

    Depending on style and process of brewing antioxidants present in beer from malt (barley) and hops as ingredients can be high or low. It is generally believed that antioxidants may play a role in the protection against cancer through their action against free radicals. Antioxidants also inhibit blood clotting.

     

    Vitamins and Minerals:

    Present in beer and various forms of vitamin B: macin, riboflavin (vitamin B2) pyroduxine (vitamin B6) folate (vitamin B9) and cabolamin (vitamin B12).

    Some of the minerals present in beer are high potassium, low sodium, low calcium and rich magnesium which protects against gall stones and kidney stones formation. Silicon intake is associated with healthy bones.

     

    Hops:

    Small quantities of the flower from hops are used to preserve beer as well as to flavour it. Beer is the only dietary source of hops and flavonoids found in hops helps to fight cancer.

    Beer does not contain fat or cholesterol and it is low in free sugar. Any calories which beer contain, comes from the alcohol content. And as mentioned earlier research into non-alcoholic beer shows that the benefits derivable from beer with alcohol are also found in beer without alcohol.

    I would like to bring these comments to a close by quoting a poem that should be familiar to all of us. It is the sum total of what I have been saying in the last so many minutes:

    “I am not scared of goblins or ghouls and things that go bump in the night

    Werewolves and bats and witches and such do not give me much of a fright.

    But there is this one thing that scares me to death and only this one thing I fear.

    And that’s to open my fridge at night and find that I’m all out of beer!”

     

    •Prof. Omotosho is a Professor of Drama at the Department of Drama, University of Stellenbosch, Cape Town, South Africa

  • Beyond alcohol, benefits of drinking beer

    Beyond alcohol, benefits of drinking beer

    Let me commence this contribution to this historical conference on Beer and the Healthy Lifestyle by expressing my gratitude to organisers of this symposium, for the invitation to chair and speak at this occasion. I am particularly gratified that that at last the Nigerian beer drinkard (as the Nigerian writer would have put it) is being served by a Nigerian conference. Beer has been an important component of a healthy life style in human history for over four thousand years. It continues to be.

    My particular interest in beer and other beverages such as palm wine and grape wine began long ago, as a boy sent by my grandfather to harvest the juice of the palm tree which had been cut down and laid horizontal for easy collection. Later travels and further immersion in lifestyles led to particular passion for the ultimate relationship between alcohol and beer.

    Each area of human manipulation and invention contains an abiding puzzle. With car making it is always to invent a car that would, like the horse that inspired the automobile, move itself without a rider. The invention of automatic transmission brought that day forward. Today self-driving cars are being tested and we might have soon self-driving cars competing with life horses on the race course!

    In the field of aeroplanes, it would be the one that would fly without a pilot. Today, drones fly past birds to do what they need to do. What then is the abiding puzzle in the case of beer brewing? Before I go into this I want to quote some of the major ways that Beer and Beer Brewing has enriched the languages and cultures of the world.

    “It was the accepted practice in ancient Babylonia 4000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride’s father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer, and because their calendar was lunar based, the period was called the ‘honey moon’ – or what we know today as the honey moon.”

    “Before thermometers were invented, brewers would dip a thump or finger into the mix to find the right temperature for adding yeast. Too cold, and the yeast would not grow. Too hot, and the yeast would die. This thumb in the beer is where we get the phrase ‘rule of thumb’.”

    “In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts. So, in Old England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them to mind their own pints and quarts and settled down. It’s where we get the phrase mind your p’s and q’s!”

    “Beer, we are told, was the reason the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. It’s clear from the Mayflower’s log that the crew did not want to waste beer looking for a better site. The log goes on to state that the passengers were hasted ashore and made to drink water so that the seamen might have the more beer.”

    “After consuming a bucket or even two of a vibrant brew they called ‘aul’ or ‘ale’, the Vikings would head fearlessly into battle often without armour or even shirts. In fact, the term ‘berserk’ means ‘bare shirt’ in Norse, and eventually took on the meaning of their wild battles.”

    “In 1740 Admiral Vernon of the British fleet decided to water-down the navy’s rum. Needless to say, the sailors were not too pleased and called Admiral Vernon Old Grog, after the stiff wool grogram coats he wore. The term ‘grog’ soon began to mean watered down drink itself. When you were drunk on this grog, you were ‘groggy’, a word still in use today.”

    I remember that one particular brand of beer Becks had been so domesticated that when my Uncle called for his Abeke I knew where to go and bring her!

    Now to go back to that abiding puzzle mentioned in the case of the automobile and aeroplane industries, which is still to be resolved in the industry of brewing of beer. What is the correct alcoholic content to make beer the best beer can be? Whoever can discover that formula would have done in beer brewing what the automobile and aeroplane industries have done for the pleasure car and the aircraft? Brewers have reduced the alcohol content drastically to create Beer Lite. At other times brewers have increased the alcohol content to hasten intake and effective inebriation! And there has been non-alcoholic beer as well.

    In the rest of this presentation I wish to look at the health benefits of each one of these versions of beer: the non-alcoholic, the lite and the high alcoholic content. But let me sound a note of warning. All cultures preach one particular central virtue over and above every other virtue. In the Yoruba culture it is possible to state categorically that moderation, iwotunwosi, the washing of the left hand and of the right hand, is the singular pillar of existence as contained in the Ifa Divination poems “highly valued by the Yoruba as the guardian of Yoruba culture, the wisdom of the ages and the teachings of the ancestors and the divinities.”

    In terms of drink, “to drink moderately is to drink within the limits set by your health, the society in which you live and your obligations towards your family and friends: this means 1 – 3 drinks a day for most men. Women are more sensitive to alcohols, so they are advised to drink less than men: 1 – 2 drinks a day.” This amounts to a quarter litre glass having between 4 and 5 per cent alcohol 10g by volume. This approximates to beer lite.

    Alcohol and the natural raw materials from which beer is brewed are good to drink and are also good for the health. They are not health risks when taken moderately. Foods and drinks consumed by human beings contain both bad fat and good fat. When alcohol is consumed there is an increase of good fat. This is the fat that the body can easily convert to energy. Bad fat has a habit of sitting at the neck or at the guts or anywhere else that would give it space. Alcohol does not contain this bad type of fat.

    There is also medical evidence that alcohol consumption has a blood thinning effect and this leads to the reduction of the tendency of blood to form clots. As we know now blood clots prevent the flow of blood to the heart and the brain thus causing massive heart attacks. It is also true that moderate alcohol consumption reduces the inflammation of the inner linings of the nerves as well as a lower level of insulin resistance. Any alcohol, whether sourced from beer or wine or any other beverage, protects the heart. How much and how often must be governed by the rules of moderation spelt out earlier. The consumption of beer with a meal is considered a better way rather than drinking on an empty stomach.

    Specifically, there are some illnesses and diseases which can be prevented, minimised or completely prevented by the consumption of alcohol. Some of these are Diabetes Mellitus, weakening of the bones (osteoporosis) as a result of the increase in blood of oestrogen associated with alcohol consumption in women. Others are Dementias which is the decline of cognitive ability with the advance of age. Parkinson’s disease, Gallstones and Kidney stones are other illnesses.

    These illnesses and diseases are helped by the presence of flaveroid and silicon, minerals present in beer. Moderate consumption of alcohol creates a feeling of well-being, reducing stress and tension.

    Moderate consumption of beer for health effects:

    Beer drinking can make a positive contribution to a healthy diet because of its wholesome raw materials used in brewing beer. These natural raw materials are cereals, hops, yeast and water. There are soluble fibres derivable from the cell walls of barley which are good for human health. All these natural materials contain antioxidants, vitamins especially of the B variation, silicon and fibre. Beer generally on the average is 93% water. As a result beer is a thirst quencher of the first order with low alcohol. Research on alcohol-free beer has shown that these benefits are also present as well. This would mean that it is not only beer that has alcohol content that gives these benefits. So, beyond alcohol, the potential beneficial effects of the natural ingredients of beer are likely to apply to non-alcoholic beer.

    Going further on barley’s soluble fibre, two glasses of beer contains in average 10% of the recommended daily intake of soluble fibre. Some beers can provide up to 30% of this food item. Fibre slows down digestion and absorption of food and reduces cholesterol levels. Cholesterol as we all know or should know helps the risks of heart disease.

    People who drink beer have protection from bacterium helicobacter pylori, a bacterium known to cause the majority of stomach ulcers and may be a risk of stomach cancer.

    Depending on style and process of brewing antioxidants present in beer from malt (barley) and hops as ingredients can be high or low. It is generally believed that antioxidants may play a role in the protection against cancer through their action against free radicals. Antioxidants also inhibit blood clotting.

     

    Vitamins and Minerals:

    Present in beer and various forms of vitamin B: macin, riboflavin (vitamin B2) pyroduxine (vitamin B6) folate (vitamin B9) and cabolamin (vitamin B12).

    Some of the minerals present in beer are high potassium, low sodium, low calcium and rich magnesium which protects against gall stones and kidney stones formation. Silicon intake is associated with healthy bones.

     

    Hops:

    Small quantities of the flower from hops are used to preserve beer as well as to flavour it. Beer is the only dietary source of hops and flavonoids found in hops helps to fight cancer.

    Beer does not contain fat or cholesterol and it is low in free sugar. Any calories which beer contain, comes from the alcohol content. And as mentioned earlier research into non-alcoholic beer shows that the benefits derivable from beer with alcohol are also found in beer without alcohol.

    I would like to bring these comments to a close by quoting a poem that should be familiar to all of us. It is the sum total of what I have been saying in the last so many minutes:

    “I am not scared of goblins or ghouls and things that go bump in the night

    Werewolves and bats and witches and such do not give me much of a fright.

    But there is this one thing that scares me to death and only this one thing I fear.

    And that’s to open my fridge at night and find that I’m all out of beer!”

     

    •Prof. Omotosho is a Professor of Drama at the Department of Drama, University of Stellenbosch, Cape Town, South Africa

  • BSG launches Drive Alcohol-Free campaign

    The Beer Sectoral Group (BSG) of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has launched a campaign to promote the responsible consumption of alcohol among drivers as part of its initiative to support safety on our roads.

    The campaign tagged ‘Drive Alcohol-Free’ is designed to increase awareness among drivers of the dangers of drink-driving and motivate a change of behavior among them as part of the Group’s commitment to reduce alcohol related harm and encourage a positive attitude towards alcohol consumption.

    The BSG represented by the Corporate Relations Director of Guinness Nigeria Plc, Mr Sesan Sobowale; the Corporate Affairs Adviser of  Nigerian Breweries Plc, Mr Kufre Ekanem and the Marketing Director of SABMiller Nigeria, Mr Chris Wulffe-Caesar, noted that as manufacturers of products that consumers like to use as part of their daily lifestyles, the Group is committed to the promotion of positive behavior to alcohol by consumers and the prevention of abuse and misuse which drink-driving constitutes.

    They explained that the Drive Alcohol-Free campaign is aimed at addressing the erroneous but widespread perception among drivers that alcohol improves their alertness on the road as part of efforts by the BSG to promote road safety, adding that the campaign will complement the various initiatives of individual BSG members in this area.