Abstract:

Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is a major public health issue globally, with India having approximately 2 crore people affected. It impacts various Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including those related to health, education, and social stability. There is limited research on alcohol consumption patterns, dependence, and sociodemographic influences in regions like Telangana and India. Though there are several questionnaires, The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), developed by the WHO, is the most effective tool for identifying risky alcohol consumption and has been widely used to assess AUD severity. Therefore, this study aims to fill that gap by using the AUDIT tool to assess alcohol use, dependence, and hazardous drinking behaviours, while exploring the role of sociodemographic factors (age, gender, education, etc.) in these patterns. It is a Prospective, observational study. AUDIT includes questions on three different domains and categorizes participants into levels of alcohol risk: low risk, hazardous use, harmful use, and alcohol dependence. While 25% of the study population consumed harmful quantities of alcohol up to 720ml a day, 67% admitted they were unable to be abstinent for at least a week and hence consumed continuously 62% were unable to work continuously due to this disorder.48% needed their first drink in the morning every week and 30% needed it almost daily. AUDIT tool has been an effective way of identifying the problematic alcohol consumption in the sample population and also to identify the rate, and stepwise patterns of disorder using different domains of the questionnaire, this study also throws light into various patterns of alcohol consumption so that treatment can be planned effectively.

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