This study aimed at examining patterns of substance abuse among youths in Kagoro of southern Kaduna state, Nigeria. The objectives of the study were to; determine the commonly abused drugs, establish the causes of substance abuse on youths and establish measures put in place to curb substance abuse in Kagoro. The study employed a descriptive survey research design and a random sampling technique was used to sample 250 participants, questionnaires were used to collect primary data. The data collected was analyzed using statistical methods like percentages. The study established that alcohol, Weed, Tramadol, and tobacco were the most abused drugs in Southern Kaduna. Sources of drugs identified were friends, kiosks, or shops. The causes of the substance abuse established were; peer influence, availability of money to buy drugs, and family background. The study concluded that substance abuse among the youths led to school dropouts, strained relationships with other students, lack of interest in studying, truancy, low concentration span, and health problems such as anxiety, headaches, feeling sleepy, and confusion leading to declining academic performance and social life. Based on these findings, the researchers recommended that awareness should be created on the effect of substance abuse among youths; there should be community counselling of youths involved in substance use. The study suggests that further studies should be carried out in other environments or institutions to check the impact of substance abuse with the view of curbing it.