The Sunday Mail
A SHARP increase in alcohol and drug abuse cases across the country bids on all well-meaning citizens to stop the worrying trend.
Men and women of various shapes, sizes and ages are now drinking beer so excessively that it is now not unusual to find them sleeping on pavements, road verges and anywhere else they find convenient to take a nap.
The cases usually manifest themselves at month-ends, when people generally have more disposable incomes.
Landlords would have collected rentals, maintenance beneficiaries would have been paid and pensioners would have received their payouts. These situations fuel merrymaking and abuse of alcohol.
When intoxicated, some start hurling expletives at each other and trading blows, resulting in serious physical and emotional injuries.
So serious has alcohol and drugs consumption become that one is now worried about the contagion effect this has on children.
Sadly, schoolchildren have joined the fray as they think downing the wise waters denotes accomplishment and/or maturity.
Called “kudzandwa”, “kudishurwa”, “kudushwa”, “kunamwa”, “kuelewa”, “kuherenderwa” and “kuzhoborerwa”, being drunk has become common among the people, with many ending up doing a lot of despicable things.
Some workers even report for work drunk, while others lose their sobriety as the day progresses as they will be using every spare time to keep their throats “oiled”.
Only last week, I saw a respectable former salesman being pushed home in a wheelbarrow while donning an expensive suit and a necktie, after taking one too many.
“Ah, ndeipi mwana wepasi? Ndangorova kamukozodo kuti ndisvike another level, but do not worry about me because ndiri kunakirwa inini,” he said while trying to make himself comfortable in the wheelbarrow.
The situation is now worse in high-density suburbs, where, at some shopping centres, it appears, there are more bottle stores than butcheries and other service providers.
“We have a challenge here, my brother, and I think council is to blame. At this shopping centre, we have more bottle stores than other service providers.
“ Some bottle stores are also being set up close to a school library and we are worried about our children. What will they learn from this state of affairs?” Mr Clement Mutoso of Glen Norah B told this writer.
“We know people have to open businesses to generate employment, but why is it always a case of opening bottle stores? Kuri kunwiwa kuno.”
Similar sentiments were echoed by Mr Christopher Mutete.
“The way people behave when drunk is not proper for children. We are embarrassed to see elderly men and women fighting and/or relieving themselves in public. This calls on people to focus on what is right and stop the rise in the number of liquor retail outlets.
“The police must also enhance their patrols to ensure there is public order at all times. This is all we want,” he said.
Mr Simbarashe Manimanzi, a florist, said he was worried by the way people were abusing drugs and alcohol.
“The issue of drugs and alcohol is now very serious.
“We are also witnessing the mushrooming of backyard alcohol sellers, who stock their stuff in cooler boxes and car boots. We need to fight to ensure we get rid of such lawlessness,” he said.
Gentle reader, it is necessary to act responsibly in whatever we engage in.
Inotambika mughetto.
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