According to the World Drug Report, 2021, approximately 275 million people used drugs worldwide in the preceding year, with another 36 million persons diagnosed with substance use disorders globally. In 2019 alone, substance use disorders were linked to about 18 million years of healthy life lost. Also, about 180000 deaths were directly linked to substance use disorders, while another half million deaths were attributed to illicit drug use.
Substance use is generally defined as a patterned use of any substance (including alcohol and/or psychoactive drugs) in quantities (or through methods) that are harmful to the user or others. Substance use is often associated with varying degrees of intoxication, which is associated with alteration of judgment, attention, and perception. The use of alcohol, illicit drugs, and illegal use of prescription medications has been associated with negative impact on the individual’s health and productivity, as well as a high socioeconomic burden on the family and society.
Globally, there is a rapidly rising prevalence of substance use and substance use disorders, with an associated increase in the morbidity and mortality. Also, in Africa, the use of illicit substances such as cannabis (the most widely used substance in Africa, with a prevalence of between 5.2% and 13.5% in West and Central Africa), amphetamine-type stimulants, and benzodiazepines is increasing rapidly.
Again, in the last decade, Africa has begun to be recognized as a consumer and a destination for illicit drugs, compared to being previously regarded as mainly a transit zone for these drugs (serving as a link between Latin America and Europe)
This reversal of the illicit drug trend is believed to be a contributing factor to the rapid development of substance use epidemic, particularly in the urban centers of Africa.
There is a consensus that substance use (particularly among adolescents and young adults) in Africa is emerging as a public health crises; however, there appears to be a paucity of scientific literature and data on the epidemiology, risk assessment, and contributing factors to substance use and the development of substance use disorders across Africa. Here, we reviewed the extant literature for information on the prevalence, trends, and influencers of substance use and the development of substance use disorders.
This is with a view of understanding the determinants of substance use and the factors that influence the development of substance use disorders in the region, and how this information can be channeled towards developing a comprehensive interventions and treatment program.
Substance use for medicinal, religious, and recreational purposes dates back centuries. The earliest mentions of the use of alcoholic or fermented beverages in Chinese writing dates far back as the 7th millennia, although there is also evidence from Sumerian writing of the use of opium from the poppy plant.
While the earliest use had been linked mainly to medicinal and religious purposes, there are also documentations of their use for recreational purposes. However, since ancient times, humans have recognized the health problems that may be associated with excess alcohol consumption.
In 2019, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime reported an estimated 35 million people having a substance use disorder necessitating treatment. Surveys and results of prospective studies examining patterns of drug use among the general population has revealed substance use peaks between 18 years and 25 years of age with drug use among young people exceeding that of older people.
A Guest Editorial