INFLUENCE OF EXCESS ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION BY MARRIED WOMEN ON FAMILY STABILITY IN VWANG DISTRICT OF JOS SOUTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT, PLATEAU STATE, NIGERIA.

Abstract

Excess alcohol consumption is a menace among married women in Vwang District of plateau State. This study examines the Influence of Excess Alcohol Consumption by Married Women on the Family Stability in Vwang District of Jos South Local Government, Plateau State. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. Four research questions were raised by the study. The population of the study comprised 1003 married women in Vwang district of Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State. In selecting the sample for the communities in Vwang District, a simple random sampling technique was used to select six communities and in drawing the sample of the respondents for the research, a proportionate random sampling method was employed to select 100 women. Women Alcohol Consumption Questionnaire (WACQ) made up of four research questions and 31 items was used for data collection. The four research questions were answered using mean. The findings of the study revealed that married women consume alcohol due to friends’ influence and for medication reasons; barrenness, kidney failure, heart failure, miscarriage among others are the effects of alcohol consumption on women; and engaging married women in vocational trainings, organizing seminars on the effect of alcohol to the woman’ health and making counselling services available for married women who drink alcohol and those who are addicts remain the possible ways to prevent alcohol consumption by married women. The study recommends that there should a policy options and interventions at national level that governments could work with to reduce the harmful use of alcohol in all communities within Plateau State and also the Plateau state government through the state ministry of education and women affairs respectively should plan a functional public enlightenment campaign periodically that educate societies on the dangers of alcohol.