Letters to the Editor: Growing Prevalence of Smoking and Drinking

Growing prevalence of smoking and drinking

Guwahati, renowned for the sacred Kamakhya Temple, the majestic Brahmaputra River, and rich wildlife and cultural heart of Northeast India, is witnessing an alarming trend: an increase in cigarette smoking and drinking among its youth. The tendency is a more significant reflection of changes in the city's sociological and cultural lifestyle and livelihood patterns, with serious consequences for the health and well-being of the younger population. Modernity and urbanization have created several options for the young population and exposed them to new behaviours that may have a big impact on their lives over time. The availability of cigarettes, alcohol, and other substances in the city is very easy. Most shops and outlets, some located near educational institutions, sell these products openly. Therefore, many underage youth are easily exposed to them. Peer pressure is also a factor because most of the young people are easily influenced by friends or social groups to smoke or drink, especially to be accepted in their peer group or for experimenting. Over time, these habits develop into addictions. The rise of western culture, the glorification of smoking and drinking in movies and social media, as well as a lack of knowledge about health risks, play a significant role in this problem.

This has various implications in terms of long-term effects. Early smoking and drinking are said to cause a person harm, not only on their physical well-being but also on the mental. Smokers and alcoholics who smoke at a young age run the risk of facing diseases such as lung cancer and liver damage once they reach a mature age. The same behaviours can also bring about poor grades at school, bad relationships within families, and sometimes involvement in other dangerous habits or substance use. This problem is best addressed multi-dimensionally. Organizing awareness campaigns for the harmful effects of smoking and drinking in schools, colleges, and public areas would be a very good idea. Parents and teachers should have a candid conversation with the youth on the risks linked to these bad habits. Strict enforcement of laws prohibiting the sale of tobacco and alcohol to minors is important, along with regular inspections of shops and outlets to curb illegal sales. Community-based initiatives, such as youth clubs and recreational programs, can provide positive alternatives and keep young people engaged in healthy activities.

Smoking and drinking among the youth of Guwahati are on the rise, reflecting a changed societal dynamic. There is a need for families, educational institutions, policymakers, and community leaders to come together and support the younger generation toward better choices in life. Addressing root causes and effective interventions can protect the young generation of Guwahati from these harmful habits.

Priyanuj Nath,

Cotton University, Guwahati.

New Year, new resolution

The 31st December news headline of your esteemed daily: ‘2,597 modern libraries will improve reading habits: CM' has drawn our attention. We enter 2025 with the spotlight on Assam’s library revolution in a bid to make books more accessible to children and adolescents. With the setting up of value-added rural libraries equipped with learning resources and integration with the national digital libraries, modern libraries are bound to attract the youth of villages to inculcate the reading habits while fostering a love for reading and learning among young minds across the state. The state government’s laudable initiative to celebrate 2025 as the Year of Reading among the new generation has become essential as the reading habits among them have been on the wane since the last decades following the digital consumption taking over. By focusing on library revolution, the government has taken a decisive step towards a culture of knowledge, imagination, and unity coupled with positive thinking, which is the key to building a beautiful society. The year-long library revolution will develop a positive attitude and optimism, which can lead to good-natured habits among people, especially the youth. Through the environment of books, reading the society can avoid all kinds of bad things, dishonest deeds, and negative thoughts.

If every person cleans the mental aspect with updated book reading and moves forward in society and the nation, then we will soon be able to achieve an enabled and successful society. Let us hope that the literary revolution of 2025, Assam, will be a model for all of India in the entire process of commitment towards cooperation, innovation, and being inclusive.

Iqbal Saikia,

Guwahati.

New Year resolutions

People are adept at making and breaking resolutions. Sometimes resolutions collapse like a pack of cards because people do not contemplate their decision. The attainability of the resolutions to be made is not given a serious thought. Often, men and women get their aims and ambitions wrong. Kicking off a bad habit, for example, requires a sense of urgency on the part of the habituated person, and by the time the New Year dawns, the determination to arrive at a resolution would as well have diminished, and the old habit would have gained an upper hand. Any work demands preparation. So, do the pledges. Firmness of mind is an absolute criterion for resolutions to work. Some individuals are physically ready, but their minds say ‘no.’.

Fickleness will lead a person nowhere. Maintaining a resolution may, sometimes, mean parting ways with a few friends: a very painful reality. Resolution means strength of character. Testing whether the resolution will work is a novel method that can be adopted before the ‘D’ day nears. Also, well before the actual resolution, a trial can be conducted to take measure of the state of surroundings and difficulties that could be encountered after the actual pledge. After all, everything boils down to coordination between the mind and the body. Besides, resolute people require some sacrifices and changes in lifestyle. Extravagance to simple life should be considered normal, and change in way of living a necessity.

Dr. Ganapathi Bhat,

(gbhat13@gmail.com)