Alcohol and substance use disorders and the current scenario in Bhutan

Alcohol is a socially and culturally accepted beverage in Bhutan, and in many regions of the country people brew alcohol at home and use it routinely. Commercially produced alcoholic beverages came only around 1976 but today there are a number of different preparations both imported and locally produced are available. Because of this, Alcohol liver diseases per 10,000 population was recorded to be 37.5 in 2018 and percentage of deaths due to alcohol related problems is 4.8. New cases of Mental and behavioural disorder due to alcohol was recorded to be 236 (AHB 2018) Bhutan’s drugs abuse problem is less compared with that of other countries.

Bhutan’s drugs abuse problem is less compared with that of other countries. It is estimated that less than 7 percent of youth abuse drugs on a daily basis. Most commonly abused drugs are pharmaceutical products smuggled in from across the border, inhalants and cannabis. However, we have been seeing an increasing trend in substance use disorder, especially among the youths.