The OASI Foundation has said that against all odds, the Foundation, as early as 1991, in the very beginning of its mission, viewed and considered alcohol as a mood altering substance with addictive properties and hazardous effects.

“The current public statement made by the Commission for Children to raise the alcohol drinking age from 17 to 18 years, cannot but to say the least be very welcomed by OASI Foundation in view of the fact that the majority of its service users had started drinking regularly in their early teenage.”

OASI said it had in 1991 embarked on various initiatives to draw the authorities’ attention to the “risks our society was facing due to excessive alcohol consumption not only by supposedly mature adults but also by our younger generations.”

In fact way back in 1992 OASI said it included in its awareness and prevention work “the abuse of alcohol on parity with consumption of drugs. It was not an easy feat to sustain, but OASI was always faithful to the principle that prevention is better than cure. Nevertheless, as far back as 1992, OASI opened its treatment and rehabilitation services to all persons who suffered from addiction be it due to alcohol or drugs.”

“This audacious stand” OASI said, “consequently brought to the surface and forefront of health promotion in our country other conditions like over eating, gambling and cyber addiction to mention but a few.”

The Foundation pointed out that it was the first organisation to raise continuous awareness on the negative effects of the handling and sale of alcohol less than 100 meters away from schools and any other educational, sports oriented or cultural community centre that catered for children and youths.

“We at OASI still believe that legal initiatives are doomed to fail unless they are backed by in advance, proper, consistent, educational and enforcement measures not only among children and youths but also and predominantly with the parents, religious authorities, police force and catering establishments,” the Foundation said.

OASI Foundation, in unison with other agencies involved in the prevention work, “can only augur well and strongly support such an initiative which ultimately may bring purchase and drinking of alcohol products legal only to persons of 18 years of age and more.”

Permalink: OASI welcomes the call to raise minimum drinking age to 18