At ₦100 a pop you can buy a sachet of alcohol in Nigeria.
Neatly sealed in a small plastic pouch, it slides easily into your pocket, purse, or even the front of your pants. No ID.
No questions. No stress.
That’s the point. It’s alcohol made for hard times.
But it’s also slowly dragging people down quietly, quickly, and in plain sight.
The Rise of the Nylon Shot
Walk through any motor park in Lagos, from Oshodi to Ojuelegba, and you’ will see them: grown men with sachets in their mouths like pacifiers.
Students hiding them in their socks. Conductors sipping them before a trip. Security men knocking back two at sunrise.
It’s normal now, people drink it like pure water. Only difference is, pure water hydrates you.
This one damages you.
It wasn’t always like this.
Before, alcohol was reserved for weekends or celebrations. A cold bottle of beer after work. A glass of palm wine at a burial. A shot of spirit to mark an achievement.
Now?
A ₦100 sachet of 45% alcohol is breakfast.
Who’s Drinking It and Why?
• Commercial drivers: They say it helps with courage and alertness. But accidents are on the rise. And many victims are innocent passengers.
• Students and job seekers: With no jobs, no money, and no escape, the sachet becomes a comfort.
• Artisans and day workers: Tired, frustrated, and underpaid. A quick high feels like rest.
• Women too: Yes, a rising number of young women are now into it. Some say it helps with anxiety. Others say it “levels the vibe.”
A 24-year-old hairdresser in Mushin told me:
“I drink two sachets before I go to the salon. It makes me bold with customers. If not, I’m shy.”
Shy today. Addicted tomorrow.
The Science Behind the Destruction
Most sachet alcohols contain 40%–50% alcohol. Some don’t even list the percentage. Some are laced with harmful chemicals.
The body isn’t built for that kind of intake every day.
• Liver failure: The liver tries to clean your blood. But too much alcohol overwhelms it. Cirrhosis creeps in.
• Mental issues: Long-term users report blackouts, mood swings, hallucinations, and memory loss.
• Addiction: Your body builds tolerance. One sachet turns to five. Now your brain needs it to feel normal.
• Violence: Many violent fights in bus parks, markets, and even homes start with sachet-fueled tempers.
How Cheap Becomes Costly
The real tragedy is this: People are spending their last ₦200 on poison.
Food can wait. Sachet alcohol can’t.
That ₦100 looks harmless. But it adds up.
₦100 × 3 sachets a day = ₦300
₦300 × 7 days = ₦2,100
₦2,100 × 4 weeks = ₦8,400 per month
That’s enough to buy good food, pay for skill training, or save toward rent.
So people are not just losing their health. They are losing opportunities.
What the Sellers Say
Some shop owners see it differently.
“I sell like 35 sachets every morning before 10am,” one kiosk owner in Idi Oro said proudly. “The demand is mad. Even when I increase the price, people still buy.”
That is not surprising.
Addiction doesn’t care about price. It only cares about the fix.
Is the Government Even Bothered?
NAFDAC said it would ban sachet alcohol by 2024. They issued statements. They made noise.
But fast-forward to 2025—sachet alcohol is still everywhere. Another statement was also issued this month that sachet alcohol will be banned in December, 2025 .
Why? Enforcement is poor. Manufacturers are still producing. Sellers are still selling. No real checks. No consequences.
READ ALSO: NAFDAC enforces ban on alcoholic drinks in sachets
So we keep watching people drink themselves to death for ₦100.
The Bigger Picture Nobody Talks About
This isn’t just about alcohol. It’s about frustration.
Nigerians are broke. Depressed. Angry. Overwhelmed.
And in a place where therapy is expensive, jobs are scarce, and pressure is high, that cheap nylon pouch starts to look like a savior.
But it’s not saving anyone. It’s quietly stealing potential, health, and hope.
Questions That Should Make You Pause
• Why are we more comfortable drinking poison than asking for help?
• What’s really driving people to cheap highs boredom, pain, or broken systems?
• Who profits from people’s misery?
Until we start asking these questions seriously, sachet alcohol will continue selling like hot puff-puff.
And people will keep dying for cheap.
In conclusion
Sachet alcohol may be cheap, but the cost goes far beyond the ₦100 price tag.
It’s fueling addiction.
Ruining health.
Wrecking lives quietly in street corners, motor parks, salons, and even schools.
People turn to it because they feel stuck. Because life feels harder by the day.
But the escape it offers is temporary. The damage is permanent.
Until government bodies take enforcement seriously, and until communities start talking openly about the root causes
poverty, stress, hopelessness
this small plastic pouch will keep causing big problems.
And the longer we look away, the more lives it will quietly destroy.