ABSTRACT
Background: Drug abuse has become a curse affecting almost every country though the extent and characteristics vary in different countries. The non medical use of habit forming drugs is not a new phenomenon. About 190 million people all over the world consume one drug or the other. Drug addiction causes immense human distress and illegal production and distribution of drugs have spawned crime and violence worldwide. According to world drug report, 2009 there were 25,71,52582 alcohol users, 8,22,88826 alcohol dependents, 82,28,883 cannabis users and 2,057,221 opiate users in India. Material and method: This Study was conducted in the Village Chhajli in District Sangrur of Punjab having a population of 10939 and having 2124 houses, from 15th February to 30th March 2009. Houses were marked randomly. Udai-Pareek scale,, Detailed drug abuse Schedule, 22 question Michigan Addiction Screening Test and 20 question drug addiction screening Test by Harvey was used n interview., ICD-10 criteria was applied to make diagnosis of substance dependence. The data collected was statistically analyzed. Results: Prevalence of substance abuse in this rural population was 39.3% out of which single substance abuse was 32.1%, two substances 4.9%, three substance 1.3% and four substances 1% of the surveyed population. 17.9% of population were single substance dependent while 3.7% of population was two substance dependent. 0.4% and 0.6% of the population were dependent on three and four substances respectively. Average age of onset of substance abuse was during the age 15-24 years. Maximal substance abuse was seen in illiterate patients. Socio-economic status was also a determinant of the type of substance abused with lower classes showed a preference for alcohol and tobacco, while opium was favored by the higher classes. Duration of use was 6-10 years for both alcohol and opioids. Conclusion: As a lot of development and changes have occurred in last two decades in terms of newer substances and newer routes of consumption, the findings of old studies may not be of much relevance in the present scenario. Hence the present study was carried out to assess the prevalence and pattern of alcohol and drug dependence in rural areas of Punjab.