New research sheds light on Drug abuse in Nigeria and its causes

The most commonly abused drugs

According to the January study, the top three most abused drugs, in order of popularity, are: cannabis, cocaine, and codeine. After that, other commonly abused drugs include amphetamine, heroin, diazepam, and tramadol.

Reasons why Nigerians engage in substance abuse

People may use illicit drugs for many different reasons, as the researchers in the PHR study found. They analyzed 11 separate studies that reported on common reasons for drug abuse in Nigeria. What they discovered was that Nigerians engage in substance abuse to:

Risk Factors for Drug Abuse and Addiction

The PHR researchers also looked at 19 studies to glean a better understanding of the most common risk factors for drug abuse and addiction in Nigeria. Many of these same factors commonly occur in other countries also.

Being young (35 years of age and younger), male, poor, and unemployed were frequently reported factors. Anther common risk factor: coming from a broken home. (A “broken home” might mean a polygamous family background, parental neglect, or exposure to drug abuse in the home.) A low education level and peer pressure—hanging around friends who used drugs—also raised one’s chances of a drug abuse problem.

Such findings may lead to more effective interventions to address Nigeria’s drug abuse problem. For now, it remains a serious public health concern. As the first-ever, large-scale, national drug use survey found in 2018, one in five Nigerians who had used a drug in the past year were suffering from drug-related disorders.

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