Alcohol Problem Gripping British Sikh Community: Survey

The problem of addiction to alcohol is gripping Britain’s Sikh community, with 27 per cent of Sikhs in the United Kingdom having a family member who has an alcohol problem, a survey commissioned by the BBC showed.

The survey, which looked into attitudes to alcohol among British Sikhs, stated that shame often hinders many from taking the help that they may need. The problem is rarely discussed, it added. The survey included responses of more than 1,000 British Sikhs.

The United Kingdom has approximately 430,000 Sikhs, which constitutes a significant share of the British Punjabi population. “There is really strong pride and honor for the family name. They don’t want anyone to perceive them as having something wrong with them or any form of weakness,” Rav Sekhon, a British Punjabi psychotherapist working with ethnic minority communities, said, the BBC reported.

According to the survey, in the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s, when the first immigrants — mostly men — arrived in the United Kingdom from Punjab, many of them were trying to adjust in a new country and working harder to send money home.

“The stresses of moving to a new culture, the associated language barriers and the racism they faced meant many of these men turned to alcohol to cope. This reliance on alcohol has had generational repercussions,” the BBC survey said.

British binge-drinking, coupled with the culture of drinking in Punjab, has formed a disastrous combination for those seeking help, Jennifer Shergill, an alcohol practitioner from the West Midlands working with Sikh men and women to help them manage as well as successfully get over alcohol addiction, was quoted as saying in the report. “There is stigma associated with chronic alcohol misuse and they don’t want their reputation to be tainted. If there is a dependent drinker in the family what might people think of our family?,” Shergill added.

There are many schemes working to help the community tackle the stigma associated with alcohol abuse. The Shanti Project has schemes that provide service that are culturally in sync with the Punjabi community in Birmingham. Others schemes like a volunteer-led Sikh Helpline that has been around for over 20 years offers assistance for cases like substance abuse, including drugs and alcohol, domestic abuse, depression and mental health issues, among others. It offers family mediation and support, and works with families to overcome cultural shame and barriers. It also supports victims through counselling and provides intervention for depression, anxiety, anger management and substance abuse. Others like Derby Recovery Network, BAC-IN, and First Step Foundatio also offer help and intervention for alcohol addiction.