BENGALURU: Karnataka is among top states that score high on per capita alcohol consumption in the country. Karnataka has clocked 9.1 litres of alcohol per person annually, significantly higher than the national average of 6.4 litres, despite only around 11% of the state’s population consuming alcohol, according to the National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5) data.
Experts said it is concerning as fewer people drink in Karnataka than the national average, but those who do consume larger quantities. The state is among the five southern states that together account for nearly 45% of the alcohol sales in the country.
The changing pattern of alcohol consumption was a key focus at the NIMHANS State-Level Stakeholder Dialogue on “Reducing Harms Due to Alcohol Consumption: A Multi-Stakeholder Approach”, organised here on Wednesday.
Experts attributed the increase in alcohol consumption to rising incomes, changing lifestyles, urbanisation, evolving spending patterns and the growing acceptance of social drinking. Local surveys and qualitative studies suggest that alcohol use often begins in the late teens or early twenties, particularly among urban male youth and working-class groups, where peer influence and social gatherings are major contributing factors.
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Addressing the gathering, former Professor and Head of the Department of Psychiatry at NIMHANS Dr Vivek Benegal said delaying the age of first alcohol use is among the most effective public health interventions. He noted that young people who begin drinking at 15 or 16 face a substantially higher risk of developing alcohol-related problems later in life than those who delay alcohol use until around 25 years. Since the brain continues to develop well into early adulthood, alcohol exposure during adolescence can significantly increase the risk of addiction and other mental health problems, he said.
He rejected prohibition as a sustainable solution, arguing that it often drives alcohol sales underground, encourages illicit liquor markets and creates new public health risks.Instead, he advocated a harm-reduction approach that includes restricting access to alcohol, increasing taxes on high-strength alcoholic beverages, strengthening enforcement against drink-driving, regulating surrogate advertising and introducing routine alcohol screening in healthcare settings.
The discussion also raised concerns over surrogate advertising through soda, bottled water, music events and sports sponsorships, which experts said continues to normalise alcohol consumption despite restrictions on direct advertising.
Participants further recommended reviewing the availability of high-strength alcoholic beverages and placing Karnataka’s draft report on reducing alcohol-related harm in the public domain to invite stakeholder feedback before it is finalised.
Other experts at the dialogue stressed that awareness campaigns alone are insufficient to reduce harmful alcohol use among young people. They called for substance-free campuses, greater involvement of parents and teachers, life-skills education and counselling services to help adolescents make informed choices.
Communication campaigns, they said, should focus on immediate consequences such as road crashes, violence, damaged relationships and poor academic performance rather than only highlighting long-term health risks.
