This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of drug and alcohol use among medical students in a private University based in Abuja, Nigeria.

A descriptive cross-sectional survey.

College of Health Sciences (CHS), Nile University of Nigeria, Abuja, between June 2018 and September 2018.

Using a semi-structured, self-administered questionnaire, information was obtained from 49 second year medical students (11 males, 38 females; age range 17-25 years), who were surveyed for the prevalence and reason of drug and alcohol use. Data retrieved was sorted, collated and subjected to statistical analysis using SPSS version 23.0 statistical package.

The mean age of students was 18.9 years and a higher proportion of respondents were female students (n=38; 77.6%). Out of the 49 students examined in this study, only 2 students currently use drugs while 8 students consume alcohol, given a prevalence of 4% and 16.3% respectively. Reasons given by one male alcohol user include: to build self-confidence (12.5%), while one female drug user uses it to escape from worries or troubles (50%). The prevalence of alcohol use was highest among male students (n=5; 62.5%), while that of drug use was highest among female students (n=2; 100%). Results also showed that the majorities of students were occasional users; and so there was no evidence of physical dependence.

Findings established low prevalence of drug and alcohol use among study groups. However evaluation of full-scale university-level intervention is highly necessary.