Testimony on alcohol consumption as a coping mechanism for pain

Testimony collected in Sicuani in October 2002 where the affiant expresses how he resorted to alcohol consumption as a mechanism to cope with the pain and grief caused by political violence. The phrase "I will kill the pain with a drink" reflects the use of substances as a palliative in the face of extreme suffering. The testimony is part of a broader analysis of the increase in alcoholism and drug dependence among the population affected by the internal armed conflict. This case illustrates the psychological sequelae and coping mechanisms developed by victims in the face of trauma.