Abstract   Context: Data on the prevalence of heavy or hazardous use as well as alcohol use disorders is important for planning secondary as well as tertiary prevention measures. Policy imperatives also demand the extent of pathological use of alcohol in the state. Moreover, there needs to be updated data on the use of alcohol. Aims: To find out the 12-month prevalence of alcohol use, hazardous use of alcohol and alcohol use disorders in Thiruvananthapuram District of Kerala. Settings and Design: An epidemiological survey was done in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital district of Kerala. Two stage cluster sampling of households was done. By random method 38 clusters consisting of 100 houses were identified. One adult person from the household was identified as the sampling unit. Methods and Material: Field workers trained in the administration of the study questionnaire made house visit and collected the data. AUDIT-C was used to collect information on quantity and frequency of alcohol consumption. Harmful use of alcohol was defined based on these parameters. MINI-5 was used to diagnose alcohol dependence and abuse. Statistical analysis used: Proportions and their confidence intervals to summarise data. Results: Use of alcohol during the last one month was seen in 28.78% of male adults (95% CI; 26.6-30.9). Prevalence of alcohol dependence and abuse in males were 2.6% (95% CI; 1.9-3.5) and 1.2% (95 % CI; 0.7-1) respectively. More importantly prevalence of hazardous use of alcohol was 14% (95 % CI; 12.4-15.8) Prevalence of alcohol consumption among females was negligible. Conclusions: The estimate of prevalence of alcohol use found in the study is in agreement with the existing literature. The prevalence of hazardous drinking and alcohol use disorders is similar to previous studies done in India. The implication of the findings indicating the possible extent of alcohol related harm and need for interventions are discussed.

Keywords: alcohol use, alcohol use disorder, hazardous use, prevalence.