Prevalence and Pattern of Alcohol Use and Abuse Among Secondary School Students in Makurdi LGA of Benue State, Nigeria

Introduction: Alcohol is a substance with toxic effects mainly on the central nervous system; it is metabolized primarily by the liver. The scourge of alcohol consumption by adolescents is generally becoming a worrisome phenomenon in Nigeria with increased risk of the concerned population for alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence, which poses a significant threat to public health, according to the Global Burden of Disease (2024) study. This study was therefore undertaken to determine the prevalence and pattern of alcohol consumption and abuse by secondary school students in Makurdi LGA of Benue State. Methodology: A cross-sectional descriptive study was employed for this research. The study population consisted of all secondary school pupils enrolled in Makurdi Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria. A multistage sampling method was employed to select 14 secondary schools and 386 students as samples. Data was collected using a self-developed questionnaire and analyzed with IBM SPSS version 21. Chi-square test was employed in analyzing the hypotheses at 0.05 alpha level. Result: The majority of the respondents are females (50.5%), Christians (96.1%), and all fall within the age group of 10-18 years. The prevalence rate determined was 42.5%, initiation of drinking age was 13-14 years (15.8%) and with more male drinkers (59.8%). The most preferred drink is alcoholic wine (26.9%). The majority (8.8%) get the drinks through friends, while 7.8% purchase by themselves and major sources of funds used include pocket money (8.3%) and money from parents under deceit (2.3%). The feeling of happiness (4.4%), among others, characterized the drunken states. No link was established between pupils in public and private schools with regards to alcohol intake. Conclusion: The prevalence of alcohol use and abuse among secondary school students in Makurdi LGA of Benue State is significantly high and most users begin at an early age, which is of concern. It has been recommended that there is a need to develop a viable underage preventive measure on alcohol use in this area.