Kazakhstan is witnessing an increase in the number of citizens suffering from alcohol addiction, reports infohub.kz.
According to the Ministry of Health, 89,681 people are currently registered with a diagnosis of alcohol addiction, including 21 minors. Doctors note that the number of alcoholics in the country is growing. At the same time, experts emphasize that the real scale of the problem may be much larger, as many hide their addiction due to fear of publicity and loss of reputation.
“Most families are very worried about their reputation. They don't worry that their relative will die two Mondays after the same drinking binge. They don't worry that under the influence, a person can do a bunch of bad things, that he will end up in prison,” said Gleb Prikhodko, deputy head of the Kazrehab clinic.
The fear of public condemnation and job loss forces people to hide the disease. Often, the problem is recognized only when the closest people begin to suffer. “I began to suffer social losses, lose my job. My children and close friends started telling me. It's terrible when a mother drinks at home. And I deeply regret that,” shared a participant of the Alcoholics Anonymous fellowship.
The scale of addiction is also acknowledged at the Republican Scientific and Practical Center for Mental Health. “We see a trend of increasing patients with alcohol addiction, influenced by both genetic and social factors. Stress levels are rising, and financial problems are growing, leading to a greater dependence on alcohol,” said Nargiza Kasymova, a doctor of the highest category and head of the addiction treatment department.
According to the Astana Police Department, since the beginning of the year, 1,040 cases of drunk driving have been recorded in the capital. 74 people got behind the wheel while intoxicated, having already been deprived of their licenses. As a result of carelessness, 24 accidents involving drunk drivers occurred. According to experts, methods developed back in Soviet times are still widely used in Kazakhstan to treat alcoholism. Without deep psychotherapeutic work, these methods can only provide a temporary effect.