Alarming! 5.7 cr Indians are alcohol-dependent, need treatment, says govt survey: report

New Delhi, Feb 19: In what constitutes an alarming news, a government survey has found that a whopping 5.7 crore people in the country require treatment for alcohol dependency while 72 lakh people need the same for cannabis use, 60 lakh for opioids ad 11 lakh for sedatives, Times of India reported.

The numbers may be even higher but the survey's revelation is definitely something to worry over. It was a household survey covering over 2 lakh households in 186 districts of the country.

According to the report, the number of people affected by cannabis also indicate at a growing problem with drugs that are easily available in cities and rural areas.

Data even showed presence of women among those addicted. It said though the percentage of women was only 1.6 per cent compared to men (over 27 per cent), yet it was reported among women in all states. It also saod that 6.4 per cent of women are alcohol-dependent, the report added.

The data also showed that more than half the male population of Chhattisgarh, Tripura and Punjab are alcohol users and the number is highest in UP (4.3 crore), followed by West Bengal (1.4 crore) and Madhya Pradesh (1.2 crore).