Its a known fact that alcohol leads to physical, psychological, and also economic damage not only to an individual but also at a larger community level. Alcohol misuse has been reported to cause mood disorders, depression disorders, and anxiety disorders. For prevention and early intervention activities, information on screening measures is crucial. Therefore, in this study, we have stressed alcoholism and associated social factors.

Aims and Objectives:

To study the alcoholism and associated social factors in the rural community

Materials and Methods:

The study was conducted in the Department of Community Medicine, K.S.Hegde Medical Academy, Mangalore.  Out of the 3400 population residing in the rural practice area, the number of males above 15 years of age was 1830. Since the population is large, scattered, and a complete list of the population was available a sampling of eligible subjects was done by systematic random sampling technique, including every 4th male in the study.

Results:

Illiterate people were found to abuse  

alcohol more than any other educated  people. The problem was seen more in the unemployed and people who owned their businesses.

Conclusion:

Excessive use of alcohol can have an adverse impact not only on the individual user but also on the general community.

Keywords: Epidemiology, Alcohol, alcohol abuse, Rural Health.