Islamabad:
In a private members club in Lahore dancing and drinking is permitted but it's a rare scene as drinking alcohol is strictly forbidden for almost everyone.
Pakistan banned the sale of alcohol in 1977 and drinking was later made a crime punishable by 80 lashes.
However, the problem of alcoholism is not as uncommon as such stringent laws might suggest.
Dr Sadaqat Ali, the project director of the Willing Ways Addiction Clinic, says ignoring the problem won't make it go away.
One recovering alcoholic being treated at the Clinic said that the addiction had taken over his life. His mother who was with him at the clinic was surprised at her son's problems.
"We didn't understand what was happening to our son, where he was getting alcohol from because there are no places like this where he could openly get these things," she said.
Despite a prohibitive 92 per cent tax and a ban on advertising the alcohol business is booming.
The Murree Brewery in Rawalpindi was established in 1860 for soldiers during British rule and it's still running today with a yearly profit of almost three million US dollars.
"Running a brewery is difficult in this country. First of all because we can't advertise openly we cant tell anyone about it, even though we make a good quality product. It takes a long time, a year, for knowledge of our product to reach the consumer," said Muhammed Javed, General Manager of Murree Brewery.
But it is reaching the consumer - in spite of the obstacles - and in growing numbers despite the fact that the issue remains a taboo.
Pakistan banned the sale of alcohol in 1977 and drinking was later made a crime punishable by 80 lashes.
However, the problem of alcoholism is not as uncommon as such stringent laws might suggest.
Dr Sadaqat Ali, the project director of the Willing Ways Addiction Clinic, says ignoring the problem won't make it go away.
One recovering alcoholic being treated at the Clinic said that the addiction had taken over his life. His mother who was with him at the clinic was surprised at her son's problems.
"We didn't understand what was happening to our son, where he was getting alcohol from because there are no places like this where he could openly get these things," she said.
Despite a prohibitive 92 per cent tax and a ban on advertising the alcohol business is booming.
The Murree Brewery in Rawalpindi was established in 1860 for soldiers during British rule and it's still running today with a yearly profit of almost three million US dollars.
"Running a brewery is difficult in this country. First of all because we can't advertise openly we cant tell anyone about it, even though we make a good quality product. It takes a long time, a year, for knowledge of our product to reach the consumer," said Muhammed Javed, General Manager of Murree Brewery.
But it is reaching the consumer - in spite of the obstacles - and in growing numbers despite the fact that the issue remains a taboo.
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