ABSTRACT: This study was aimed at examining the Effect of Alcohol Abuse on the Health of the Youths in Uruan Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State. To guide the study, three (3) objectives were formulated: To identify the types of alcohol abused among youths; to examine the causes and effect of alcohol abuse and to determine the preventive and controlling measures on alcohol abuse among youths in Uruan Local Government Area. Research questions were also formulated based on the set objectives. Related literatures were reviewed to ascertain people’s opinion in the study area and were supported by Social Cognitive Theory by Albert Bandura 1986. The study adopted a descriptive survey with a simple random sampling technique to select the sample size of 100 respondents.
The instrument used for data collection was a researcher’s structured questionnaire. Data obtained from the respondents were analysed using simple percentages and presented in tables. Finding revealed that majority of the people believed that alcohol abuse has a devastating negative impact on health (95%). Based on the above findings, conclusion was drawn and recommendations were made amongst others that Government Agencies of Health and Security should be actively involved in public education and awareness campaign on alcohol abuse.
Effect of Alcohol Abuse on the Health of the Youths
1.1 Background of the Study
Alcohol abuse encompasses a spectrum of unhealthy alcohol drinking behaviors, ranging from risky drinking to alcohol abuse to alcohol dependence. This includes binge drinking and alcohol dependence.
Globally, alcohol consumption is the seventh leading risk factor for both death and the burden of disease and living. Alcohol use is a major cause of preventable liver disease worldwide and alcoholic liver disease is the main alcohol related chronic medical illness. The Encyclopedia Encarta (2006) described the term “alcohol abuse” as the consumption of spirits, wine, beer, and malt to such and extend that it affects the social or work-related functioning of an individual.
Alcohol abuse has become a common practice especially among youths in Uruan Local Government area. Most of the youths find alcohol consumption as a means of shying away from their challenges in life, others consume it so as to be accepted among their peers, majority consume alcohol before confronting an issue, this they do because they see alcohol as a courage booster.
A smaller volume of consumed alcohol has a greater impact on the older adult than it does on younger individual. As a result, the American Geriatrics society recommends for an older adult with no known risk factors less than one drink a day or fewer than two drinks per occasion regardless of gender. An addicted person could by psychologically dependent on alcohol, this means that the person thought he or she must take alcohol at all time, the body may actually need it or not need it at all. Some under the influence of alcohol would not only risk harming themselves but others as well.
Odejide (1989) observed that “alcohol abuse presents broad-spectrum of problems which affect the individual, his immediate family, and the society at large”. Furthermore, the social impact of alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence includes loss of job, loss of one’s sense of responsibility, family peace disruption, school drop-out, promiscuity and deliberate violence to oneself or others. The devastating physical, social and psychological effects on the alcohol addict, his/her family and immediate environment are enormous.
Therefore, we cannot sit and watch this plaque destroy our present and future generation of this nation. The frequent abuse of alcohol by the youths can also result in impaired academic performance. It is high time to target and prevent this benign menace from being malignant.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
According to statistics provided by the World Health Organization (WHO, 1970) Alcohol including wine, spirit and beer are commonly used by our youths all over the world. In the past years, alcohol experimentation and alcohol dependence appear to have spread to all level of our society exposed to it youth and adult alike. Most of the youths have becomes psychologically and socially dependent on alcohol, thus it tend to manifest in everything they do each day whereby most of them find it hard to work without taking alcohol.
Alcohol abuse is a serious social problem affecting the socio-economic development of people in almost every society. Also, the frequent abuse of alcohol such as beer, spirit, gin as well as other ethanol which further promote illicit production, distribution and sale of alcohol constitute social, cultural and national security threat. It is an observable fact that effect of alcohol abuse is tearing apart our society spawning crime and killing our youths and our future. It is really hard to estimate on the exact damages cause by this addicts to our society expect by approximation.
Effect of Alcohol Abuse on the Health of the Youths
In Nigeria society, there are a number of youth who are inmate in hospitals. Apart from becoming mentally sick and less productive, these youth poses serious problems for their immediate families. Alcohol abuse has beer associated with nervous disorders such as Motor Neuron Diseases (MND). Therefore, the abuse of alcohol among youths in Uruan has generated a lot of concern among parents, policy makers and Non-Governmental Organization. The belief is that youths are regarded as being in the fore front in the abuse of alcohol in Nigeria. This study will seek to find out the effect of alcohol abuse on the health of the youths in Uruan Local Government Area.
1.3 Statement of Purpose
The purpose of this study is to determine the causes and effects of alcohol abuse on the health of the youth between ages 16 years to 35 years of age in Uruan Local Government Area.