Illicit drug use other than marijuana in the past month: Adults

Illicit drug use is prevalent in the nightlife scene, especially at electronic dance music (EDM) events. The aim of the present study was to investigate illicit drug use patterns and consequences of drug use among frequent visitors of EDM events. Young adults (18–34 years old) who had visited at least six EDM events in Sweden during the past year participated in a web-based survey on drug use patterns and its consequences. Fifty-nine percent of participants had used illicit drugs during the past year, most often cannabis followed by ecstasy, cocaine, and amphetamine. Nightlife venues were identified as the main setting for the use of central stimulants, while cannabis was mostly used at home. Frequent alcohol and tobacco use was associated with illicit drug use. The most prevalent negative consequences of drug use were related to mental health, such as impairments in mood, sleep, and memory problems, but physical manifestations were also reported, such as palpitations and collapsing. These findings confirm that drug use is prevalent and associated with negative health effects among EDM nightlife attendees. The nightlife scene is a setting with promising potential to reach a high-risk target group with illicit drug use prevention interventions.

Download Full-text

Alcohol and drug use among staff at licensed premises in Norway

Scandinavian Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1177/1403494818761417 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 47 (4) ◽

pp. 393-399 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Kristin Buvik ◽

Elin K. Bye ◽

Johanna Gripenberg

Keyword(s):

Substance Use ◽

Alcohol Use ◽

Drug Use ◽

Illicit Drugs ◽

Illicit Drug ◽

Illicit Drug Use ◽

Drug Prevention ◽

Heavy Episodic Drinking ◽

The Past ◽

Licensed Premises

Aims: There is increased concern about the use of alcohol and illicit drugs in nightlife settings. Most studies of substance use in nightlife settings are from the patrons’ perspective, which leaves an understudied population – the nightclub staff. The aim of this paper is to study self-reported alcohol and substance use among staff at licensed premises in Norway: types of illicit drugs used, attitudes towards drugs, and observed drug use among patrons. Methods: A survey was conducted at server-training courses in 20 different cities in Norway during 2015. The survey included: demographics, respondents’ own alcohol and drug experience, attitudes towards drug use, and observed drug use among patrons at licensed premises. Results: Data were collected from 912 staff working at licensed premises. A majority reported alcohol use in the past year, and 61% reported alcohol use two or more times a month. Overall, 45% of the respondents reported ever-used of illicit drugs. The four most commonly used drugs among staff were cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy/MDMA, and amphetamine. The majority of respondents supported Norway’s strict drug laws, and 63% reported observing drug-intoxicated patrons at licensed premises during the past six months. Conclusions: The proportion of frequent drinkers and heavy episodic drinking among staff at licensed premises was high, and the prevalence of illicit drug use was much higher compared with the general population. Thus, staff at licensed premises can be considered a risk-group for alcohol and illicit drug use and therefore represent an important target population in club drug-prevention programmes.

Download Full-text

Illicit drug use and sexually transmitted infections among young adults in the US: evidence from a nationally representative survey

International Journal of STD & AIDS ◽

10.1177/0956462420950603 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 31 (13) ◽

pp. 1238-1246

Author(s):

Mohammad Rifat Haider ◽

Caroline Kingori ◽

Monique J Brown ◽

Michele Battle-Fisher ◽

Ilana Azulay Chertok

Keyword(s):

Young Adults ◽

Drug Use ◽

Sexually Transmitted Infections ◽

Illicit Drugs ◽

Illicit Drug ◽

Illicit Drug Use ◽

The United States ◽

Sexually Transmitted ◽

The Past ◽

History Of

Young people aged 15–24 years account for half of all new sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the United States. The aim of this study was to examine the cross-sectional associations of factors linked to STIs among US young adults (18–25 years). This study used the 2015–2018 pooled National Survey on Drug Use and Health data on 55,690 young adults. Almost 3.4% of the respondents reported having an STI in the past year. Among the participants, 38.4% used illicit drugs and 3.7% reported a history of delinquency in the past year. In the survey-weighted logistic regression model, odds for contracting STIs in the preceding year was higher among adults aged 22–25 versus 18–21 years (OR:1.26, 95%CI:1.12–1.42); male versus female (OR:2.44, 95%CI:2.11–2.82); non-Hispanic African American versus non-Hispanic White (OR:1.77, 95%CI:1.55–2.02); widowed/separated/divorced (OR:1.93, 95%CI:1.36–2.75) and never married (OR:1.29, 95%CI:1.07–1.55) versus married; full-time/part-time employed (aOR:1.17, 95% CI:1.04–1.31) compared to unemployed/other; history of delinquency (OR:2.31, 95%CI:1.89–2.83); and use of illicit drugs in the last year (OR:3.10, 95%CI:2.77–3.47). High incidence of illicit drug use by the young adults and its strong association with STI incidence in recent years warrant special attention. Tailored preventive measures should be focused on key predictors.

Download Full-text

Association of illicit drug use in adolescence with socioeconomic and criminal justice outcomes in adulthood: prospective findings from a UK national birth cohort

Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health ◽

10.1136/jech-2019-213282 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. jech-2019-213282

Author(s):

James White ◽

Steven Bell ◽

G David Batty

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Criminal Justice ◽

Drug Use ◽

Birth Cohort ◽

Illicit Drug ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Adult Life ◽

Illicit Drug Use ◽

Birth Cohort Study ◽

The Past

BackgroundIllicit drug use in adolescence has been linked to drug use and poor mental health in adult life, but few studies have examined the relation between adult economic and criminal justice outcomes.MethodsWe analysed data from 14 082 participants (6999 women) in the 1970 British Birth Cohort Study. Illicit drug use over study members’ lifetime and in the past year were self-reported at 16 years of age. Thirteen outcomes were self-reported at 30 years of age, including illicit drug use, smoking, problems with alcohol, mental and physical health, experience of socioeconomic disadvantage and experiences with the criminal justice system.ResultsAt 16 years of age, 20.3% of the participants had ever tried an illicit drug and 7.2% had used in the past year. After adjustment for childhood socioeconomic status and mental health problems, and following correction for multiple testing, there was a dose–response association between illicit drug use at 16 years with illicit drug use in adult life in the past year (OR; 95% CI – 1.83, 1.51 to 3.12), experiencing homelessness (1.74, 1.16 to 2.62), being arrested (1.57, 1.29 to 1.92) and cautioned (1.97, 1.50 to 2.57) by the police, and being found guilty at court (1.73, 1.34 to 2.23).ConclusionsAdolescent drug use was associated with an array of social and criminal outcomes in later life.

Download Full-text

Illicit Drug Use: Primary Prevention

British Journal of Occupational Therapy ◽

10.1177/030802269405700102 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 57 (1) ◽

pp. 2-4 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Carol-Ann Morgan

Keyword(s):

Primary Prevention ◽

Young People ◽

Drug Use ◽

Illicit Drug ◽

Illicit Drug Use ◽

Public Debate ◽

Occupational Therapist ◽

Media Representation ◽

High Profile ◽

The Past

Over the past 20 years, illicit drug use among young people has been given a high profile in public debate, centring on its socially destructive and personally degrading nature. Drug use among young people is a highly emotive subject and can strike fear in the hearts of most parents, which is exacerbated by sensationalist media representation. This article describes the range of strategies used in tackling illicit drug use and discusses their evaluations. It suggests further community approaches with occupational therapist involvement to enable young people to make appropriate decisions regarding drug use.

Download Full-text

Spirituality, gender, and drug use among students from one University in Barbados

Texto & Contexto - Enfermagem ◽

10.1590/0104-07072015001140014 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 24 (spe) ◽

pp. 117-124 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Mia Amour Jules ◽

Samuel Noh ◽

Hayley Hamilton ◽

Bruna Brands ◽

Denise Gastaldo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Sciences ◽

Drug Use ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

Illicit Drug ◽

Illicit Drug Use ◽

Age Group ◽

The Past ◽

Males And Females ◽

The Caribbean ◽

Negative Relationships

The research aimed to clarify the relationships between spirituality, gender, and drug use among undergraduate students of one university in Barbados. A quota sample of 250 students was required from the Faculty of Social Sciences as the study was part of a larger multi-centric study involving students from the Faculty of Social Sciences from seven other participating countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Significant negative relationships were found between a student's level of spirituality and their licit and illicit drug use over the past 12 and three months. Males and females also differed significantly in terms of illicit drug use (past 12 and three months). However no gender differences were found as it related to licit drug use. Moreover, females possessed significantly higher levels of spirituality than their male counterparts. Further qualitative research should be conducted among this age group within the Barbadian context to better explain these findings.

Download Full-text