Perceptions of church leaders on accessibility and affordability of alcohol abuse amongst youth in Musina Town, Limpopo province

Abstract

Alcohol abuse is associated with numerous risk factors amongst the youth. The youth indulge in binge drinking because of social exclusion, and accessibility and affordability of alcohol, especially in rural areas. As such, many countries including South Africa spend a large amount of money on drug prevention programmes for the youth. This study was aimed at exploring the perceptions of church leaders on accessibility and affordability of alcohol abuse amongst youth in Musina Town, Limpopo province, South Africa. An exploratory research design was utilised. The study population was drawn from male church leaders at Musina Town. The purposive sampling approach was employed in this article. Qualitative approaches and semi-structured interviews were used to collect the data. Data were analysed thematically using NVivo software. The study revealed that negligence of parents, pressure from peers and early debut of alcohol abuse because of poor legislation enforcement predispose the youth to indulge in binge drinking and thus play a significant role in influencing the youth’s decision to use alcohol. The findings of the study point to the disbursement of funds for research purposes, in particular to social work scholars, to do more research on risk factors of alcohol abuse in deep rural areas.