alcoholism is very much prevalent in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Those who can afford it go to licensed outlets and buy their alcohol. The poor laborers go to the neighborhood bootlegger where they get their hooch at a fraction of the price. Its essential to know the difference between ethyl and methyl alcohol, which most illicit liquormakers dont know, leave alone the illiterate daily wage earners who consume it. When its impossible to stop people from consuming alcohol atleast some awareness should be imparted on how to tell the difference between good and bad liquor. As doctors say good liquor is the only antidote for bad liquour. So while abstention is best recomended, for those who cant do without it, cheap legal outlets for the poor should be opened. thats the only way to prevent bootleggers taking the life of people with their hootch. Unfortunately state governments look at liquor trade as only a revenue source and levy duties so high that low income groups cant go anywhere near the govt sanctioned/run shops.
