Liquor consumption dips further in sober Gujarat: NFHS survey

Ahmedabad: In Gujarat, while liquor is banned, tobacco remains firmly within reach. Among the most sober states in India owing to its Prohibition policy, Gujarat is also among the most tobacco dependent. The latest national family health survey (NFHS) brings both realities into sharp focus.

According to the NFHS-6 for 2023-24, Gujarat is a near exemplar in terms of sobriety. Only 5.2% of men drink, down from 5.8% five years ago, placing the state second in the country behind only Lakshadweep (0.6%). The state also holds a measurable lead over Jammu & Kashmir (7.3%).

Among women, alcohol consumption is a negligible 0.3%, half of what it was in the previous survey, and among the lowest recorded anywhere in India — Jammu & Kashmir is at 0.2% and Lakshadweep is at nil.

The discipline of the “dry state” vanishes when examining tobacco dependence. Nearly four in 10 men in Gujarat — 38.4% — use tobacco in some form. Even after a drop from 41.2% in the previous survey, tobacco use among men in the state is more than triple that of India’s best performers: Puducherry is at 11.4%; Punjab is at 13.9%.

The gender gap in tobacco use is wide, yet the figures for women remain a concern. Tobacco use among Gujarat’s women stands at 7%, down from 8.7% in the previous survey. In Punjab and Chandigarh, the comparable figure is 0.5%. Gujarat is 14 times higher, a gap that rarely finds its way into public debate.