EPISODE 13 - Alcohol and HIV

As the festive season is upon us, it is quite fitting that this week on Siyayinqoba Beat It! we focus on Alcohol and HIV.  Each year in South Africa alcohol abuse contributes to severe health problems, accidents, domestic violence and a loss of production in the work environment.  Apart from the many harmful physical effects, there are also severe psychological attributes and social repercussions.  Alcohol abuse has also become common amongst teenagers, most of who are still in school.

This week we visit Lubabalo Vellem in Masiphumelele, a township close to Fish Hoek in Cape Town.  In 2000, Lubabalo's girlfriend found out she was HIV positive and asked him to take an HIV test.  Lubabalo had his own views on HIV - it did not exist, however, he secretly went to Spine Clinic in Salt River and the test results were positive.  Lubabalo then moved to Fish Hoek in 2003 where he met up with old friends.  They would hang out on the weekends and indulge in drinking binges. He believed that it was easier to take ARVs with alcohol and as he had not informed anyone of his status, he had no support structure to help him and remind him to take his ARVs.  He continued to drink and ultimately would forget to take the pills.  After being infected with TB, Lubabalo was hospitalized and there he was encouraged to take his ARVs to increase his CD4 count and reduce the viral load. Lubabalo decide to turn his life around after this and has since become an adherence counselor in his community. He works hard to promote and encourage people to be compliant with their medication.

In our next insert we visit the Eastern Cape and meet Buyelwa Koliti from Motherwell.  She tested in 2004, after she fell pregnant, and found out she was HIV positive.  It wasn't long after the test that her marriage fell apart and her husband left her. This took a toll on Buyelwa and she started drinking. The drinking progressed and her mother tried to inform her about the dangers of drinking and the effects it had on the liver but this did not seem to deter Buyelwa.  It reached a state where she would throw away ARVs prescribed to her in the hope that it would fool the nurses into thinking she was keeping on track with her ARVs.  It was not until she realized that there where people around her who where unable to receive their ARVs as their livers were completely damaged.

While in the Eastern Cape we also visit SANCA (South African Council of Alcohol and Drug Dependency). Ditsetsi Lebusa explains to us how alcohol affects the liver and the various stages in the breakdown of the liver. When a person consumes alcohol it ultimately affects the heart, lungs and liver. Alcohol is absorbed by the liver, broken down and released into the blood stream as waste. If the liver succumbs to immense pressure, brought on by excessive drinking, it could lead to Cirrhosis of the liver.

In our final insert we journey to the Western Cape, to a township called Nyanga.  Xoliswa Hanise is seven months pregnant and is still drinking alcohol. Her reason for drinking is because she is unemployed and therefore has nothing else to do during the day or night and hence will turn to the bottle.  She justifies her drinking by stating that she is yet to see or hear of infants being born different due to the abuse of alcohol during pregnancy.

As you know, Siyayinqoba Beat It's theme for the season is PMTCT.  Not only are we encouraging all pregnant women to be tested as early as possible, but to also begin treatment if required.  Mixing alcohol during pregnancy will not only lead to Foetal Alcohol Syndrome but could emotionally affect the mother to be.

When people are intoxicated their sense of reasoning and ability to make informed decisions, is reduced to about 40%.  Having unprotected sex becomes a huge risk factor. The chances of falling pregnant or contracting HIV are almost doubled with the abuse of alcohol. Consuming alcohol whilst taking ARVs is not advisable and while alcohol is legal, it's up to each individual to be responsible with their own lives. ARVs must be taken everyday at the same time for the rest of one's life and often by drinking alcohol it becomes very easy to slip up and forget to take one's medication.