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Alcohol and other psychoactive substance use in Uganda remain a growing public health and social concern, affecting both urban and rural populations. Recent studies reveal that psychoactive substance use among youth is increasingly multifaceted, involving alcohol, cannabis, khat, inhalants, and non-medical use of prescription drugs (Atwoli et al., 2023). According to findings from the 2023 Uganda Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) STEPS survey compared to the 2014 survey conducted by the Uganda Ministry of Health in collaboration with the WHO, the prevalence of current alcohol consumption among adults significantly increased from 28.5% in 2014 to 31.1% in 2023 (MoH 2023). The 2023 data reflect a growing burden of NCD risk factors, with the alcohol-consumption-increase representing a statistically significant upward trend.

Evidence from the Ministry of Health indicates rising cases of polysubstance use, where individuals consume multiple substances concurrently, complicating treatment and prevention strategies (Ministry of Health Uganda, 2023). Therefore, addressing alcohol harm in isolation is no longer sufficient; a whole-of-society approach integrating health, social, and economic responses is necessary to achieve sustainable outcomes.

Given this context, a conference theme of “Beyond Alcohol Harm: Whole-of-Society Action for Health and Socio-Economic Wellbeing” is timely and relevant