Chairperson of the South Africa Network of People Who Use Drugs, Shaun Shelly, says the abrupt withdrawal from products could be detrimental for addicts.

"If you stop drinking alcohol rapidly you develop withdrawal symptoms and something called derilium tremens, which is a form of delirium where you lose touch with the world and it can be life threatening. About 4% of people who develop DT can actually die," he said.

Shelly suggests that the government should allow liquor outlets to remain open for a limited time period.

"What I would suggest is having limited times when liquor outlets are open or there is some way of identifying people who are dependent but we never really know who is dependent until it is too late. We've got to help each other," adds Shelly. 

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