Telangana: Kids as young as 2 addicted to spiked toddy
HYDERABAD: The latest instance of toddy adulteration in Telangana, which has left seven people dead and dozens in hospital, has exposed another dark and sinister side of the business driving the sale of this alcoholic beverage that is otherwise considered less potent.
Doctors report that an increasing number of children are getting addicted to toddy that has been spiked with sedatives like alprazolam (Xanax), diazepam (Valium) and chlordiazepoxide (Librium). Some of these children are as young as two years old and have barely learnt to stand on their feet. They are brought to doctors with withdrawal symptoms such as seizures, fever and sleeplessness.
Psychiatrists TOI spoke to said it is common practice in parts of rural Telangana for parents and grandparents to give their children toddy to calm them and put them to sleep.
What the elders don't realise is that much of the toddy sold now is often laced with sedatives. Doctors say they are seeing a substantial increase in such cases since pandemic, with four to five cases being reported every month.
"In rural Telangana, it's very common for the whole family, including children, to consume toddy as it is considered a traditional drink. In poor families, children are made to consume it so that they sleep when both parents are out working. So, by the time a child is seven or eight, he or she is addicted to adulterated toddy, causing irreparable damage to their young bodies," said Dr Srinivas SRRY, head of the psychiatry department and nodal officer, addiction treatment facility, Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital, Warangal.
He has treated several children under 10 with withdrawal symptoms.
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