Womenfolk tremble as TASMAC outlets reopen

08/05/2020, P.A. NARAYANI,MADURAI

For 30-year-old Panchu, a domestic worker from Thuvariman near Madurai, opening of TASMAC liquor outlets on Thursday rekindles haunting memories of the violence that she had to endure from her alcoholic husband before the lockdown. She says denial of access to liquor during the lockdown had actually motivated her husband to give up alcohol.

However, now the hope of a positive change in her family has been replaced with fear and anxiety. “The COVID-19 outbreak had, indeed, a positive impact on our family. During the lockdown, my husband worked in farmlands for two days a week and earned ₹500 per day. It was the first time he gave his full earnings to the family. But, all our hopes of a better life have been dashed now,” she says.

Like Ms. Panchu, wives of many alcoholics, who are from low-income families, are worried that the reopening of Tasmac outlets will further worsen their economic condition, pushing them to the brink of starvation.

K. Kala, who also works as a domestic worker, says many households have not paid her salary due to the lockdown and that the family solely depends on her husband’s income. “With the relaxation of lockdown norms, my husband can work at construction sites and earn around ₹500 per day. However, all the money will now be used by him to purchase alcohol,” she says.

The move has also instilled the fear of contracting COVID-19 infection from their husbands. “We are worried as physical distancing will go for a toss when they stand outside TASMAC outlets. Also, they tend to spend extra time with their friends after consuming alcohol, exposing themselves to many people,” she adds.

The reopening of the outlets has also robbed addicts of the opportunity to give up liquor, says C. Ramasubramanian, a senior psychiatrist and founder of M.S. Chellamuthu Trust and Research Foundation. “The permanent solution to alcohol addiction is a change of mental attitude, for which restricting easy access to alcohol is important,” he says.

Sekar (name changed), chairman of Alcoholics Anonymous group in Madurai, says many alcoholics had overcome withdrawal symptoms in the initial days of the lockdown and started to adopt more positive practices in their everyday routine.

Dr. Ramasubramanian also says when addicts consume liquor after a gap of a few weeks it might affect their physical and mental health. “It can also lead to a spike in the number of alcoholics who might need medical help at de-addiction centres, further burdening the health infrastructure,” he adds.