Abstract

Alcohol is the most commonly used psychoactive substance and, globally, causes 1.8 million or 3.2% of all deaths
and accounts for 4.0% of the disease burden (WHO, 2007). To determine the prevalence of alcohol use disorders
among medical students at KIU-WC Ishaka town, Bushenyi district Uganda. This was a descriptive cross-sectional
study conducted to explore the factors influencing alcohol use disorder among medical students at KIU-WC Ishaka-
Bushenyi district. The quantitative strategy was used to tabulate numerical data which was presented in pie charts,
graphs and tables. Most respondents 45(37.5) were in the age group of 21-23 years and the lowest 12(10%) in the
age group of 18-20 years, 75(62.5%) were males and the least 45(37.5%) were females, 35(29.2%) were Baganda with
least 15(12.5%) were Iteso. The biggest respondents 45 (37.5%) were Catholics while least 2(1.7%) were Moslems,
75(62.5%) were single while the least 3(2.5%) were divorced from their partners, 45(37.5%) were in BMS 3.1-3.2
while the least of respondents 14(11.7%) were from BMS 4.1-4.2 and the biggest respondents 65(54.2%) were others
like students while the least 10 (8.3%) were peasant farmers. From the study findings, 20.8% of the students were
not taking alcohol, 79.2% were drinking alcohol, 79.2% and 65% were drinking alcohol harmfully and hazardously
while were alcohol dependent. The major contributing factor to alcohol abuse among KIU-WC medical students
was social environmental which included stress, peer pressure and social norms. The second contributing factor was
environmental like availability, persuasive adverts and local breweries and economic factors like unemployment, loss
of job, and high-income status being the least contributing factors