An Assessment of Prevalence of Alcohol Consumption, Drinking Behaviors, and Alcohol Use Disorders Among Medical Students of UPUMS, Saifai, Etawah, Uttar Pradesh: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Alcohol consumption during college is trending now a days. Early age alcohol user can be potential chronic alcoholics. They are at increased risk for academic failure, mental health problems, antisocial behavior, Road traffic accidents, early onset dementia, and development of alcohol use disorders. Identifying students at risk enables timely interventions. Aim & Objective: To estimate the prevalence of alcohol consumption and assess alcohol use disorders (AUDs) and identify drinking behaviors among medical students at UPUMS, Saifai, Etawah. Settings and Design: Cross-sectional study conducted among undergraduate medical students of four MBBS batches at UPUMS. Methods and Material: A structured questionnaire including the AUDIT tool was administered via Google Forms. Complete enumeration was done among 460 students. Incomplete responses were excluded. Statistical analysis used: Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were performed using SPSS version 26. Results: Alcohol consumption prevalence was 19.8%. Most students began alcohol use after age 19, citing fun and experimentation as reasons. Alcohol use was significantly associated with age and family history of alcohol use (p < 0.001). AUDIT revealed that 12% of drinkers were at increasing risk for AUDs. Conclusion: The study highlights a notable prevalence of alcohol use among medical students, with risk factors including age and family history. Early detection is essential to prevent dependency.