cigarettes and beer

Who thinks cigarettes would be what we use instead of money now is mistaken. They are probably still too cheap.

However:

Beer stocks running out as Zimbabweans hit the bottle

Beer has joined the list of commodities fast running out in Zimbabwe, led by a high demand for lager - a sure sign of people hitting the bottle to drown economic hardships, a drinks company said yesterday. "We have witnessed an unprecedented demand for our lager beer products. Average sales are rising fast and approaching the 300 000 litres per day level," George Mutendadzamera, general manager, corporate affairs, of the country's biggest beverages producers, Delta Beverages, said in a statement. Last month alone, the level of beer consumption in the crisis-ridden nation was about 50% up on the similar period just a year ago. Mutendadzamera said the current high demand also pointed to a "worrying trend of alcohol abuse. (…)

(From The Star (SA), 25 August)