Reduced New Year drinking leads to less quarrels

By Sheain Fernandopulle   
Cutting back on alcohol consumption during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year festival has resulted in notable dip in incidents of conflict and quarrels associated with alcohol use during the festival season.  
This was revealed in a survey conducted by the Alcohol and Drug Information Center (ADIC), Sri Lanka concerning alcohol consumption and related information during the season.   
The survey encompassed a sample size of 415 individuals across all nine provinces of Sri Lanka. Within this sample, 46.2% (n=192) were female, and 53.7% (n=223) were male.  Accordingly, a majority of survey participants, which amounted to 70.8%, observed a decrease in incidents of conflict and quarrels associated with alcohol use during the festival season compared to the previous year.  
Furthermore, from the participants, 64% expressed the view that alcohol consumption had decreased during this year’s Sinhala and Tamil New Year celebrations, compared to that of last year.   
The survey participants were inquired about the factors contributing to the decline in alcohol consumption with the opportunity to provide multiple responses.   
The majority comprising 71.5% of the survey participants attributed this decrease to the rise in alcohol prices. In addition, opposition by the family members, health issues, growing perception of alcohol as being devoid of purpose, and reduced availability were also presented as reasons for the reduced alcohol consumption.  
Meanwhile, in the survey, there was an investigation into the presence of alcohol or beer promotion on social media, especially during celebrations.   
Despite the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA) Act banning all alcohol and tobacco advertising, 71.4% of respondents stated they came across such promotions on social platforms.