Introduction
Drug abuse research, particularly those concerned with alcohol abuse have generally been stepped up in Nigeria reflecting the increasing trend in use and misuse of this substance. An interesting aspect of these researches is their focus on young people.“ These studies especially as in the case of Onwuzurikez and Mbosowo have found that the use of alcohol among undergraduates is associated with a number of social, psychological and cultural factors. The most important predictors of drinking behaviour among young people have been peer-group and familial influences. In a recent large scale study of alcohol use and abuse pattern in the Middlebelt of Nigeria, Obot found that young people reported drinking at least once a day; with majority of
these people being under 20 years of age. These findings con?rm the pattern noticed in earlier studies.” In these studies, children aged between 11-14 years were found to be abusers of various kinds of drugs including alcohol; similar to that found in a survey by the lnternational Council for Alcoholism and Addictions (ICAA) in which high alcohol abuse was found in young people aged 15-20 years.