Introduction
Nigeria, for a long time now, has been witnessing a sharp rise in incidence of alcohol abuse. While a lot of attention is being directed towards the elimination and prevention of drug abuse generally, very little effort is made at addressing the issue of alcohol abuse. Could it be that the issue borders on lack of recognition of alcohol abuse as a social malaise or is it a case of misplaced priority or sheer neglect? This lukewarm attitude may be attributed to the cultural and social patronage alcohol consumption enjoy in Nigeria.
lndeed, cases of crime, divorce, accident, ill-health, etc. have been associated with alcoholism in advanced countries like the U.S.A.. The former USSR set up a campaign against and engaged in battle with alcohol abuse. We thought, therefore, that it would be in order if Nigeria can setup machinery towards the same goal i.e elimination of incidence of alcohol abuse. This problem, however, can be tackled effectively if only we can investigate the causes and consequences of alcohol abuse. This stand is the motivating factor for this paper which highlights economic factors responsible for increasing consumption and abuse of alcohol in Nigeria. The paper also endeavours to suggest some necessary steps or strategies for the minimisation or total elimination of cases of alcohol abuse in Nigeria.
