A video showing high school students drinking beer and smoking marijuana at school has surprised social media users.
The film, which was allegedly shot at a Stellenbosch secondary school, shows students in full school uniform laughing and joking about what they are doing.
The video, which has already gone viral, demonstrates how far South Africans are from overcoming their alcoholism. It also highlights how far the country’s youth have strayed when it comes to alcohol addiction.
In 2011, South African adults (aged 15 years and older) consumed 9.5 litres of absolute alcohol each year.
This number puts the country at No 10 on the list of countries that consume the most alcohol.
Now, 11 years later, and that shocking statistic has not changed.
In fact, it has risen…as more and more people have started consuming alcohol at a younger age. The Sowetan reports that in 2021, we moved up the list of heavy drinkers to a shocking No 6 position.
In a video clip shared on Facebook by Ta Gersh on 16 February, a teen — dressed in a full school uniform — can be seen pouring some beer into a glass while laughing with the person who is filming her.
The young pupil is surrounded by other learners, one of which can be seen rolling a dagga joint. The person recording the clip, says in Afrikaans:
“We have beers, we have cigarettes and we have dagga, we have everything.”
The clip has been shared thousands of times as South Africans discuss this alarming issue — not only that of alcoholism, but the fact that it seems as if school children are increasingly moving in a dangerous and reckless direction.
Commenting on the clip, one concerned Facebooker, Allistair Daniels, wrote:
“This country needs leadership. Men need to rise. Our youth follows the norms that we set.”
With South African adults’ drinking habits reportedly on the increase, it isn’t much of a shocker that the country’s teens are following suit.
According to recent research conducted by Aware.org, 50% of teenagers in South Africa drink alcohol.
As reported in Cape Town ETC, a number of studies conducted by the organisation, found that someone who starts drinking under the age of 18, is four times more likely to develop alcohol dependency than someone who starts consuming alcohol at the age of 20.
The fact that high school learners who look no older than 16 are drinking alcohol already, is a reminder of how far the country still needs to go to put a stop to its growing alcohol dependency.
Visit the SADD website; contact the toll-free SANCA substance abuse hotline on 0800 121314 or SMS 32312 if alcohol is having a negative impact on your life or that of someone close to you.
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