1555 © 2021 Annals of Medical and Health Sciences Research Original Article Research Article Abstract Background: Alcohol holds an important role in social engagement in southeast Nigeria. It is considered pleasurable by many who drink it in mild or moderate quantities. Studies show an increasing trend in alcohol consumption, including among adolescents. Aim: The aim of the study is to determine the prevalence and patern of alcohol use among adolescents living in urban setlements in Enugu Urban, Southeast Nigeria. Materials & Methods: A cross sectional descriptive study was conducted, using purposive sampling method. Using semi-structured questionnaires, we obtained information on their biodata, medical history, alcohol consumption profles and a few other lifestyle behaviors. Statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS version 23. Results: A total of 473 youngsters aged 10 yeras-19 years were recruited from the two setlements. Females (mean age 15.4 years) were also older than males (mean age 14.8 years) p=0.02. The prevalence of current alcohol use within the preceding 4 weeks was 23.7% (112/473). Males drank alcohol more frequently than females (31.8% vs. 17.8%). p<0.01) and local brew (palm wine) was the commonest alcoholic consumed 40 (35.7%). The amount of alcohol consumed (in grams) rose sharply after the age of 15 years with a steeper gradient being observed among the males. Conclusion: This study shows that there was a moderate rate of alcohol use among adolescents in the study population which increased sharply after 15 years of age. There is therefore a need for public health enlightenment targeted at adolescents both in school and in the community, to highlight the dangers of excessive alcohol use thereby preventing future alcoholism and consequent heart, vascular, brain and liver diseases that may ensue. Keywords: Adolescents; Alcohol; Beer; Stout; Enugu; Nigeria Corresponding author: Birinus Ezeala Adikaibe, Department of Medicine, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, Nigeria, Tel:+2348036769469; E-mail: birinusadikaibe@gmail.com How to Cite this Article: Mbadiwe N, et al. Alcohol Use in Selected Low- Income Neighbourhoods in Enugu, Southeast Nigeria. Ann Med Health Sci Res. 2021;11:1555-1560. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License, which allows others to remix, tweak, and build upon the work non-commercially, as long as the author is credited and the new creations are licensed under the identical terms. Alcohol Use in Selected Low-Income Neighbourhoods in Enugu, Southeast Nigeria Nkeiru Mbadiwe 1 , BirinusEzeala Adikaibe 1* , Justin Achor 2 , Innocent Okoye 3 , Obinna Onodugo 1 , Obumneme Anyim 1 , Uchenna Ijoma 1 , Chidimma Orah-Okpala 1 , Collins Ugwu 4 and Nkeiru Onodugo 1 1 Department of Medicine, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, Nigeria; 2 Department of Neuropsychaitric Hospital, Enugu, Nigeria; 3 Department of Medicine Odumegwu, Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital, Awka, Nigeria; 4 Department of Medicine, Ebonyi State Teaching Hospital, Abakiliki, Nigeria Introduction The use of alcohol is widespread and integrated into the cultural practices of many ethnic nationalities in Nigeria. Alcohol is commonly used and abused alongside other psychoactive substances in Nigeria and other countries of the world. [1-4] There are indicators within the last two to three decades, alcohol consumption has increased sharply in the country and especially among adolescents. [4,5] The adolescent age group, covering the ages of 10 years-19 years, is a very important stage in human development, and represents the transitional period between childhood and adulthood. [6,7] It is a period during which multi-faceted developmental changes take place in the physical, cognitive, emotional and behavioral domains. [8] Most children leave home within this age group and are no longer under the full supervision of their parents or guardians. At this point, many will be exposed to social infuences and peer pressure leading to the exposure to several psychoactive substances including alcohol. [1] Incidentally, the initiation of alcohol use behavior often occurs at this stage of development as well as laying the foundations for later drinking and future psychoactive drug use habits. [8] Previous studies suggest that the risk factors that predispose adolescents to use and abuse alcohol are male gender, alcohol use in the family, peer pressure, ready availability of alcohol in neighborhoods, lack of parental supervision, and inadequate social and coping skills. [9,10] To this must be added the infuence of poor school engagement, interaction with alcohol and drug using peers, infuence of alcoholic beverage advertisements, and community perception of alcohol use among young people. [11-13] Studies on the drinking behavior of adolescents indicate an increasing trend in Nigeria. [14,15] Published reports on the extent of alcohol use among adolescents and young adults in Africa have quoted a widely varying range of Figures. For instance, the WHO estimated that 41% of adolescents aged 15 years-19 years in Africa admitted to having used alcohol in 2012 whereas 29% stated that they had used it in the past 12 months. [16] This has been also reported in several other studies. [14-20] Studies from Nigeria have reported diferent prevalence rates for alcohol use among adolescents which are varied between regions possibly because of socio-cultural diferences (especially religious beliefs) and the particular age group studied. In Benin City, Akanni et al. [21] reported a prevalence rate of 55.9% of ever using alcohol while Osonuga et al. [15] in south west Nigeria reported a lifetime prevalence of alcohol use among adolescents as 66%. Another study from southern Nigeria among 1080 secondary school students in Port Harcourt reported a prevalence of current drinking and lifetime drinking of 30.6% and 38.1% respectively. [22]