The Nation Newspaper

Tag: drinking

  • Trader dies after drinking bottles of herbal gin

    A trader identified as Akpan Solomon has died after he took four bottles of a local herbal gin called ‘Agbara’. The deceased was said to have accompanied his friend, Chigozie Ozorigam to a hotel to relax. It was learnt that Solomon had earlier consumed two bottles of beer before he requested for bottles of the local gin.

    The incident happened around 6 p.m at Lagoon Hotel, Orile Iganmu Lagos in June. Akpan, it was gathered, became weak and collapsed few minutes after he consumed the drinks.

    The incident led to the arrest of his friend Chigozie and he was subsequently arraigned before an Ebute Meta Chief Magistrate’s Court for allegedly poisoning Akpan. Police Prosecutor, Kehinde Olatunji filed an application that the accused be remanded in prison custody pending legal advice from the office of Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

    The defence counsel, Spurgeon Ataene asked the court to make enquiry pursuant to Section 264 from the prosecution. In her ruling, the presiding magistrate, Mrs. Folarin Williams said there was no evidence in the prosecution file that indicted Chigozie as the one who committed the crime. She admitted the accused to bail in the sum of N500, 000 with two sureties in like sum. The case was adjourned till October 5 for DPP’s advice.

  • Guinness, NYSC preach responsible drinking

    Guinness Nigeria PLC has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to drive its drink responsible campaign among corps members.

    NYSC Director-General, Sule Kazaure, said the DRINKiQ campaign would be implemented in the communities where corps members are serving.

    Kazaure, who was represented by Director, Community Development and Special Project (CDS&SP), Mrs. Rhoda Kwaki, said at the signing, which took place at the NYSC headquarters in Abuja that under the MoU, corps members and NYSC officials would be trained to carry out the campaign across Nigeria.

    He said: “DRINKiQ is a give back to the society campaign to be implemented by Community Development Services and Special Projects which is bound to impact positively on the corps members, staff and entire society.

    “It is our sincere hope that the programme will be seen in the right perspective by every community.”

    Guinness Nigeria Managing Director, Mr. Peter Ndegwa, who was represented by Director, Corporate Relations, Mr Sesan Sobowale, hoped that the campaign would help to curb abusive use of alcohol in the society.

    “We believe that efforts to reduce the misuse of alcohol are most effective when governments, society, individuals, families as well as industry work together.  Herefore, our approach is built around providing consumers with information promoting rigorous company and industry standards for responsible marketing, supporting effective programmes and partnerships as the one that we are signing today to promote alcohol education and to tackle misuse and advocating effective evidence based policy,” he said.

     

  • ‘Drinking while eating is healthy’

    ‘Drinking while eating is healthy’

    A seasoned nutritionist has cleared the air on whether it is proper to drink water along with food while eating.

    According to the Vice-President, Nutrition Society of Nigeria, Dr. Bartholomew Brai, there is no scientific evidence to suggest that drinking water during meal is wrong or that doing so reduces the nutritional composition of the food.

    At the Nestle Nutrition Seminar at its Agbara, Ogun State Factory, Dr Brai said digestion is the breakdown of food into smaller particles or individual nutrients. It is accomplished through six processes, with the help of several body fluids — particularly digestive juices that are made up of compounds such as saliva, mucus, enzymes, hydrochloric acid, bicarbonate, and bile.

    “The six processes of digestion involve: one, the movement of food and liquids; two, the lubrication of food with bodily secretions; three, the mechanical breakdown of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins; four, the reabsorption of nutrients—especially water; five, the production of nutrients such as vitamin K and biotinby friendly bacteria; and six, the excretion of waste products.

    “Comprehension of the tasks or processes needed to break down food is essential to an understanding of how and when food really begins to function within the body. For example, not understanding that carbohydrates break down into glucose could lead one to believe that the best source of glucose is in liquid form such as a soft drink. This could cause one to miss out on the nutrients (and great taste) in fruits, vegetables, and grains. Likewise, not understanding the digestion process could lead a person to believe in the myth of ‘food combining,’ or perhaps to think it is normal to be hungry all the time. But, in fact, the digestive processes normal to human physiology can simultaneously handle carbohydrates, fats, and proteins—and allow people to go several hours between meals, especially if meals are balanced in fiber and the individual nutrients needed,” explained Brai.

    “So, those who erroneously said people should not drink while eating or that if they drink cold water it will cause their fat or oil intake to solidify thereby blocking or calcifying their arteries have no scientific bases for their argument,” said Dr Brai.

    He explained that digestion begins in the mouth with the action of salivary amylase. The food material then progresses past the esophagus and into the stomach. A bolus (soft mass) of chewed food moves by muscular wave actions, called peristalsis, from the mouth to the pharynx, and then past the epiglottis that covers the larynx. The epiglottis closes off the air passage so that one doesn’t choke. The cardiac sphincter prevents reflux of stomach contents into the esophagus.

    “So, from the Stomach to the Small Intestine food mixtures leaving the stomach are called chyme, and this empties into the small intestine after about two to four hours in the stomach. The small intestine is where most digestion takes place. A pyloric sphincter controls the rate of flow of chyme from the stomach into the small intestine. Most digestion occurs in the upper portion of the small intestine, called the duodenum. Below the duodenum is the jejunum, and then there is the last segment, called the ileum. About five percent of undigested food products are broken down in the ileum. This is why some people can have a small part of their intestine removed and still seem to digest most foods with little problem.

    “Digestion of food that enters the small intestine is usually complete after three to ten hours. Once digestion is essentially finished, waste products leave the ileum with the help of fiber, and these solids then enter the large intestine (the colon). In the colon, water is reabsorbed; some nutrients are produced by friendly bacteria (vitamin K, biotin, vitamin B12); fibres are digested to various acids and gases; and minerals, such as potassium and sodium, are reabsorbed (when needed). Any fibre that is not broken down—and small amounts of other undigested products—are excreted in the feces,” he explained.

    Dr Brai encouraged adequate drinking of water as, “Blood is about 92 percent  water and it carries nutrients and oxygen throughout the body. Nutrients from the food we eat are broken down in the digestive system where they become water-soluble, which means they are dissolved in water. Water allows these nutrients to pass through the capillaries within the intestinal walls to the blood and circulatory system where the valuable nutrients and oxygen can be distributed throughout the body to all the cells and organs.

    “In addition to the daily maintenance of our bodies, water also plays a key role in the prevention of disease. Drinking eight glasses of water daily can decrease the risk of colon cancer by 45 percent, bladder cancer by 50 percent and it can potentially even reduce the risk of breast cancer. And those are just a few examples.  People can read up credible links on the website, and can read more in depth about how water can aid in the prevention and cure of many types of diseases, ailments and disorders that affect the many systems of our bodies,” said Dr Brai.

  • Drinking away lost affection

    IT is a few minutes to 10 pm. The traffic has been really bad and tiring. All you want to do is get home and crash in bed. Somehow, you remember that there a few things on your to-do list that has to be sorted out before crossing over to the next day. The image of a drunken young lady struggling to walk ahead catches your fancy. Her hair, outfits and accessories spell class, almost everything comes with shades of green (natural) and when you move closer you find that she is reeking of alcohol.

    “What kind of nonsense is this? How can a pretty young lady be drinking like a fish and getting into trouble,” says a middle aged woman. Yes, she must have been drinking like a fish, indeed. This goldfish is likely to have fallen out of the emotional aquarium, out of comfort and she is feeling out of place and confused. A fish (heart) out of water (love) is as good as dead.  “I just cannot believe that this lady drank to this state. I suspect that she may have been drugged by a man (desperate heart) who must have taken advantage of her and now abandoned her,” says one of the judges on the emotional bench. He goes on to paint another likely scenario this way: “Sometimes, I think our girls need to be caned properly. They have become so greedy and follow all kinds of characters, especially the old fool’s labelled aristos, all for money. See where this one has landed herself now. This ‘monkey tail’ treatment is usually a result of our girl’s greed for fried snails, cow tail pepper soup and others.

    A falling and fading beauty on the streets. Who or what the hell is this? Could this drunk chic be on a suicide mission? Is she crying over emotional split milk? How did this pretty damsel get into this state? you wonder. You are not alone, a few other busy bodies like yours truly get inquisitive like the cat and everyone begins to imagine what could have happened.

    The babe in question has gone blank; it’s so difficult to get any information about where she is coming from or where she is heading to. Sadly, it is getting pretty late and it’s time to vanish to our ‘tents’. Volunteers?  Luckily (or is it unluckily), a volunteer emerges from the small crowd. It’s the king of boys himself (an area boy clad in jeans and singlet), grinning mischievously. Two of his set of teeth are missing and the others are coloured from smoking and probably eating kolanut. “No worry, I go help her jare. Na she go first drink, abeg if trouble too much na to shak and forget your sorrow oo. Me sef don drink but me I dey see, no be today, welcome to our club.”  Laughter and some comments about her unladylike action. Nicely, he offers a hand to assist her get up on her feet and as she struggles to get her balance, she falls into his arms, leaning, clinging and cuddling this God-sent for support. They move on like a pair in love, but we all know that they are strange bedfellows.

    Goodbye, the mischievous volunteers wave to us all, and the crowd disperses finally.  As you move on, the image of the lady tethering on the brink of alcohol poisoning is more than hilarious. Rather than laughing at her, you just cannot help but pity her. Then your mind begins to imagine what would happen next. Would this Good Samaritan deliver her at her doorstep intact or would he divert the emotional traffic elsewhere? Worse still, you begin to imagine the indignity of her staggering into the thug’s colony  and becoming a ‘feast’ for the thug and  his other gang members, who are probably high on something at that moment of the night.

    In the lyrics of ‘Drunk in Love’ by Beyoncee, the heart gets filthy when liquor gets in. The thinking cap faculty would certainly be on sabbatical and just cannot function properly.

    Flashing lights at this point are just meaningless. Everything fades and while you try to unravel this emotional mystery, the web is likely to get thicker and thicker. Sadly, it is only when your head clears, possibly after midnight (when the harm must have been done).

    Falling in love takes you to a state of mind that you just cannot define at that point. It is, however, worse when you get drunk or resort to drugs to escape from the sad reality that dawns on the victim of a heartbreak. Sipping and getting into an emotional fire can be a disaster. So what you eat, drink and the quantity you drink (feelings) really matters.

    This takes us to the fruits and fruit salad conspiracy along the emotional corridors. Here, some men claim that women are like fruits and taste better when they are fresh (young). Interestingly, many prefer to have a little bit of everything (fruit salad). Like love ‘salad’, the trick has to do with presentation. It just has to be something enticing to the eyes and pleasing to the palate. Good looks should taste good, but over time taste buds have discovered that it is not what you see that you get.

  • One die, two hospitalised after drinking contest

    AN alcohol-drinking contest has claimed one life and two others have been hospitalised in a Benin hospital.

    The deceased, Famous Ogbeide, 25, and three others were drinking different brands of hot drinks at the funeral of their friend’s father. He was said to have emerged winner in the first and second rounds of the contest, but failed to collect his prize of N4,000 as he died in the hospital.

    Sources said the contest was initiated by one of the youths at the party.

    The victim allegedly collapsed by the roadside after gulping the drink. It was also gathered that one of the victims pulled out of the contest when he began to cough and vomit.

    The police have arrested the organiser of the funeral party who was said to have arrived Nigeria from Malaysia the day before.

    The deceased’s mother said her son told her he was attending a funeral of his friend’s father.

    She added that his father died last December.

    Police spokesperson DSP Joseph Edoigiawerie said the case was being handled by the homicide department of the state police command headquarters, Benin City.

     

  • Drinking from the emotional stream

    IT is so good loving somebody and somebody loving you back’. The sweet echoes from the lyrics of Teddy Pendergrass’ great old song admonishes that love is better when the emotional scale is balanced. This week, you could feel the love thing in the atmosphere and love, the architect of people’s emotional fortune (or misfortune), has been set loose.

    Yet, you find that there are a number of people who still can’t drink from the river of love. They actually get to the emotional stream and identify someone they think match their dreams. But beyond these connections, their dreams just refuse to fly and it’s almost impossible to take what would have been an amazing connection to the next level.

    Perhaps they aren’t passionate about what they want? Not really! Sometimes they may even have the passion running all over their veins and still not get connected emotionally. To get the right connections usually require getting the right heart, a heart that is also willing to explore the possibilities that they share in common. Once this is established, then it would be easy to cruise on love’s control towers and not crash midway.

    For Shade, love has not really been fair. As you take a peep into emotional encounters, the pretty lady has been subjected to, you cannot help but cry a little. It has been tales of hit and run lovers, emotional fraudsters and a collection of pretenders to her emotional throne. Her heart has, indeed, seen better days but somehow she still needs to pick the emotional pieces hoping to find real love again.

    It got so bad, and now her memory is fading. Now what’s going to happen that she has discovered an amazing, single, attractive man, someone who wants to get close to her? But somehow she is still not so sure of what to expect. The question on her mind is whether this new man is going to see her as the woman to love and cherish or someone that should be used and dumped.

    For anyone in Shade’s shoes, it is important to look back on your love life to avoid the shortcomings you had in the past to recur. You need to be sure that you do not have a hand in creating some of the heartbreaks you’ve experienced. Once this has been established, then you can romantically move on to the next phase of your love life.

    The emotional current started fading out some months back and she knew at that point that they had actually come to the end of the road. “I just noticed that he had changed towards me and everything I said or did made him angry. Even when I kept quiet, he would make up a story and would read meanings to any response I offered. He didn’t use to behave this way and I knew that somebody somewhere had stolen his heart. I just had to let go because it became traumatic trying to win a heart that had metamorphosed from love to deep hatred.”

    A quick diagnosis of this emotional ailment and you find that they were not operating on the same love frequency and channel. The girl tuned off, thinking she had captured her Mr. Right when he needed her most. Not satisfied with the miserly emotions doled out, he looked elsewhere and found exactly what he had been looking for. By the time the gal realised that another bird had filled in this vacuum, it was already too late.

    Like Shade, Kenneth has come to the realisation that love, like life, isn’t constant. Sometimes, you win some and there are times when there is really nothing you can do about it. What you get to an emotional crossroads then you just have to be brave and move on. It may actually be an opportunity to find someone who is more precious than the heart you are crying all over the place for.

    While it is possible to win a particular heart for a lifetime, some hearts are quite restless, energetic and very adventurous. Just when you think you have found what you are looking for or dreaming about, it zooms off like a butterfly looking for another beautiful flower to perch on.

     So, it is therefore common to find lovers lost on the emotional island .Unfortunately, you cannot fly alone. What about a by hook-or-crook way out of the emotional woods? Oh no! It is impossible to move at your pace; on the love path you can only fly with someone who is willing to fly. If the one you love has other ‘interests’, then you may just let this lovebird be.

    The scenario can also be compared to walking on a broken bridge; here crossing over to the other side can be a real torment if you are lucky. But if you are not, then you can be sure that one of the lovebirds or both of them would fall off.

  • South African women drinking to harm their unborn babies

    PREGNANT women in one of South Africa’s poorest areas are drinking heavily to deliberately harm their unborn babies in order to claim higher welfare payments.

    There has been a spike in the number of babies born with disabilities in the country’s Eastern Cape, where crime and unemployment are widespread and newborn babies represent a form of income for mothers.

    Women who drink heavily during their pregnancy run a much greater risk of giving birth to children with Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).

    Children with this condition are born with characteristic physical and mental defects, including short stature, and small head and brain, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

    There is no cure for FASD and treatment is focused on mental health and medical services to manage the resulting lifelong disabilities that include learning difficulties, behavioural problems, language, delayed social or motor skills, impaired memory and attention deficits.

    A major problem is the prevalence of illegal drinking houses called shebeens, where homemade, highly addictive and damaging alcohol called kah-kah is sold.

    Kah-kah is a milky brown liquid and while its exact ingredients are unknown police have found batches made from yeast, water and battery acid.

    “If I don’t drink this, I’m like someone who is sick,” one mother said, swigging from a transparent bottle containing kah-kah. “I can’t sleep, and I can’t think straight but when I have this then I am better and I can do anything.”

    She said she drank about “five or six bottles a day” and that this started from “about nine o’clock” in the morning.

    According to Sky News, while police frequently raid shebeens and shut them down, new shebeens open up just as quickly.