A study on socio-demographic factors of alcoholics attending a deaddiction centre in Kannur district

Abstract

Background: Alcoholism is a major public health problem in Kerala. It leads to serious social, mental and physical consequences. Method: A deaddiction centre based cross sectional study was done on 370 individuals using a predesigned questionnaire during the period of 2012-2013. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 17. Chi-Square test was used to find association between the study variables. Results: The study was done on 370 alcohol dependent subjects. The mean age of the study subjects was 38.08±8.46 years. 64.3% of the study subjects were from rural areas. The mean age of starting alcohol consumption was 25.46±6.6 years. Family history of alcohol consumption was present in 99 (26.8%) patients. The age at initiation of alcohol intake was significantly (p < 0.05) associated with family history. The mean duration of drinking was 12.62±7.47 years. 42.4% of the study subjects consumed brandy. 37.6% of them consumed < 200ml of alcohol per day. Peer pressure was the most common reason cited by 44.1% individuals for starting alcohol consumption. The most common reason cited by 30.5% individuals for continuing alcohol consumption was because they liked its effect. Family problems and financial problems were the most common reasons cited wanting to stop alcohol consumption. Conclusion: Alcohol use is a serious public health problem. Awareness programs regarding its harmful use should be given to the people in the community.

Role of Acamprosate and Baclofen as Anti-craving Agents in Alcohol Use Disorder: A 12-Week Prospective Study

“…In our study, all subjects were males, similar to studies conducted by Sarkar et al, Mohandas et al, and Sujiv et al [ 13 , 14 , 15 ]. This may occur due to various factors, such as social structure, financial dependence on others, and societal attitudes toward female drinkers, which may make seeking help less likely or difficult for females.…”