Of Rats And Men: Peer Presence And Familiarity Are Key Factors Which Reduce Drug Intake

ABSTRACTSocial environment influences drug consumption, its persistence and evolution. Little is known regarding the influence of the presence of a peer during drug consumption and especially how the relationship between peers (familiarity and dominance) can influence drug consumption. We used here a translational and transdisciplinary approach to explore the influence of peer presence and peer familiarity in rats and humans that self-administer stimulants. In rats, cocaine intake was compared when rats were alone with intake when peers with different characteristics (familiar or not, cocaine naive or not, dominant or subordinate) were present. In humans, 77 cocaine and/or methylphenidate users were asked to detail their most recent drug use episodes and their relationship with peers present at consumption. The results show that in both humans and rats, the risk of cocaine/stimulant consumption was significantly reduced by 37% and 32%, respectively, when a peer was present. Moreover, the lowest risk of consumption was consistently observed when the peer was unfamiliar (vs familiar) with a further 38% and 17% risk reduction, respectively. In rats, a decreased risk of consumption was greater when the peer was cocaine naive (vs non-cocaine naive).The presence of a non-familiar and possibly drug-naive peer is the most efficient condition to diminish stimulant intake. Our results indirectly support the use of harm reduction strategies, in particular supervised consumption rooms for stimulant users.

Download Full-text

Serious Harm Reduction Strategies Indirectly Affects the Relationship between Explicit Drinking Identity and Hazardous Drinking in College Males

Identity ◽

10.1080/15283488.2021.1962322 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-12

Author(s):

Robert B. Whitley ◽

Michael B. Madson ◽

Byron L. Zamboanga ◽

Richard S. Mohn ◽

Bonnie C. Nicholson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Harm Reduction ◽

Hazardous Drinking ◽

College Males ◽

Reduction Strategies ◽

The Relationship

Download Full-text

KNOWLEDGE OF CONSEQUENCES, ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AND DRUG CONSUMPTION AMONG UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN ONE UNIVERSITY IN JAMAICA

Texto & Contexto - Enfermagem ◽

10.1590/1980-265x-tce-cicad-2-13 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 28 (spe) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Fay Williams ◽

Bruna Brands

Keyword(s):

Academic Performance ◽

Drug Use ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

Research Question ◽

Drug Consumption ◽

Cluster Sampling ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Cross Sectional Design ◽

The Relationship

ABSTRACT Objective: determine the prevalence of drug use and to investigate the relationship between knowledge of consequences and drug consumption as well as the relationship between academic performance and drug consumption among university undergraduate students in Jamaica. Method: the study uses a cross sectional design. A total of 250 undergraduate students were selected through a randomized cluster sampling process. A modified survey instrument consisting of over 70 items relating to socio-demographics, knowledge of consequences, drug consumption and academic performance measures was used to test the research question and hypothesis. Results: the findings revealed low levels of drug usage as well as problematic usage, however, there was a weak negative yet statistically significant correlation between the academic performance and alcohol use (r=-.139, p=.028) which suggested that an increase in alcohol usage is associated with reduction in academic performance. The independent T test also revealed a statistically significant difference between those who used alcohol and those who did not use alcohol in the past 12 months based on academic performance. Conclusion: the findings will inform policy decisions regarding drug use and the provision of intervention services. It is recommended that this research should be extended to other universities in Jamaica.

Download Full-text

A critical exploration of professional perceptions of harm reduction policy and practice in Vietnam

10.26686/wgtn.17136515.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Tuan Dung Truong

Keyword(s):

Drug Use ◽

Harm Reduction ◽

Quantitative Methods ◽

Brain Diseases ◽

People Who Use Drugs ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Policy And Practice ◽

Public Health Perspective ◽

Qualitative And Quantitative Methods ◽

Reduction Strategies

<p>Throughout the 1990s, Vietnam experienced a dramatic rise in the prevalence of HIV among people who use drugs. In response, Vietnam’s Ministry of Health implemented several legal and policy interventions in the name of harm reduction. However, perceptions about drug use, people who use drugs, addiction and the nature of official interventions are contested. For many Vietnamese officials, abstinence remains the dominant philosophy. Drug use is considered a ‘social evil’ in Vietnam and people who use drugs face draconian controls and incarceration in the name of treatment and crime prevention. Against this background, this thesis explores how key stakeholders perceive harm reduction philosophy and how they apply it in policy and practice. Based on qualitative and quantitative methods, it presents findings from a survey with 250 respondents and 26 semi-structured interviews, all with professionals involved in responding to drug use in Vietnam. The thesis illustrates that these professionals prefer abstinence approaches, and often see addiction as the result of moral failings and brain diseases. While some interventions in the name of harm reduction are accepted, they are firmly rooted within a narrow public health perspective. Professional misperceptions about the key principles and practices of ‘authentic’ harm reduction are widespread. Many professionals believe, for example, that harms can only be limited through reductions in the demand and supply of drugs, or that detaining people who use drugs in compulsory treatment centres is a form of harm reduction. These rationales have resulted in continuing police crackdowns, and the use of ‘pseudo’ harm reduction strategies to control and punish people who use drugs. Meanwhile, there are limited official attempts to address problems experienced by people who use drugs, like social isolation, stigma, discrimination, human rights violations, or problems of community reintegration. In conclusion, while a harm reduction rhetoric is regularly employed in Vietnam, ‘pseudo’ harm reduction strategies are carried out.</p>

Download Full-text

The “Drugs-Crime Nexus”

10.1093/med/9780199374847.003.0001 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Dominique de Andrade

Keyword(s):

At Risk ◽

Drug Use ◽

Harm Reduction ◽

Good Evidence ◽

People Who Use Drugs ◽

Correctional Institutions ◽

Reduction Strategies ◽

At Risk Populations ◽

Prison Populations ◽

The Impact

The prioritization of imprisonment as a response to drug use in many countries has led to growing prison populations, with little impact on drug use, drug-related harm, or drug-related crime. There is increased international debate around how to best manage and respond to at-risk populations, with good evidence to suggest that embracing harm reduction strategies in the community and in prison can lead to reduced rates of imprisonment, infectious disease, and other preventable harms. Despite this, evidence-based treatment and harm reduction programs have largely failed to penetrate the walls of correctional institutions in most countries. This chapter provides an overview of major drug groups and explores the impact of drug policy on international imprisonment rates, and the diversity of responses to people who use drugs in the community and prison. The potential for corrections to play a significant therapeutic role in addressing the urgent treatment and harm reduction needs of at-risk, drug-using populations in prison and during their transition back to the community is highlighted.

Download Full-text

Impact of drug consumption rooms on risk practices and access to care in people who inject drugs in France: the COSINUS prospective cohort study protocol

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2018-023683 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. e023683

Author(s):

Marc Auriacombe ◽

Perrine Roux ◽

Laélia Briand Madrid ◽

Sébastien Kirchherr ◽

Charlotte Kervran ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Hepatitis C ◽

Drug Use ◽

Harm Reduction ◽

Access To Care ◽

Social Services ◽

People Who Inject Drugs ◽

Drug Consumption ◽

Risk Practices ◽

The Impact

IntroductionThe high prevalence of hepatitis C and the persistence of HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) risk practices in people who inject drugs (PWID) in France underlines the need for innovative prevention interventions. The main objective of this article is to describe the design of the COSINUS cohort study and outline the issues it will explore to evaluate the impact of drug consumption rooms (DCR) on PWID outcomes. Secondary objectives are to assess how DCR (a) influence other drug-related practices, such as the transition from intravenous to less risky modes of use, (b) reduce drug use frequency/quantity, (c) increase access to treatment for addiction and comorbidities (infectious, psychiatric and other), (d) improve social conditions and (e) reduce levels of violence experienced and drug-related offences. COSINUS will also give us the opportunity to investigate the impact of other harm reduction tools in France and their combined effect with DCR on reducing HIV-HCV risk practices. Furthermore, we will be better able to identify PWID needs.Methods and analysisEnrollment in this prospective multi-site cohort study started in June 2016. Overall, 680 PWID in four different cities (Bordeaux, Marseilles, Paris and Strasbourg) will be enrolled and followed up for 12 months through face-to-face structured interviews administered by trained staff to all eligible participants at baseline (M0), 3 month (M3), 6 month (M6) and 12 month (M12) follow-up visits. These interviews gather data on socio-demographic characteristics, past and current drug and alcohol consumption, drug-use related practices, access to care and social services, experience of violence (as victims), offences, other psychosocial issues and perception and needs about harm reduction interventions and services. Longitudinal data analysis will use a mixed logistic model to assess the impact of individual and structural factors, including DCR attendance and exposure to other harm reduction services, on the main outcome (HIV-HCV risk practices).Ethics and disseminationThis study was reviewed and approved by the institutional review board of the French Institute of Medical Research and Health (opinion number: 14–166). The findings of this cohort study will help to assess the impact of DCR on HIV-HCV risk practices and other psycho-social outcomes and trajectories. Moreover, they will enable health authorities to shape health and harm reduction policies according to PWID needs. Finally, they will also help to improve current harm reduction and therapeutic interventions and to create novel ones.

Download Full-text

Harm-Reduction Strategies for Injection Drug Use

Psychiatric Annals ◽

10.3928/00485713-20161208-01 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 47 (1) ◽

pp. 45-48

Author(s):

Nicole M. Azores-Gococo ◽

Daniel J. Fridberg

Keyword(s):

Drug Use ◽

Harm Reduction ◽

Injection Drug Use ◽

Injection Drug ◽

Reduction Strategies

Download Full-text

A Glass Half Full? Harm Reduction among Pregnant Women Who Use Cocaine

Journal of Drug Issues ◽

10.1177/002204260203200315 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 32 (3) ◽

pp. 973-998 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Jeanne Flavin

Keyword(s):

Drug Abuse ◽

Drug Use ◽

Harm Reduction ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Healthy Pregnancy ◽

Research Challenges ◽

Physical Position ◽

Maternal Drug Use ◽

Reduction Strategies ◽

Women Who Use Drugs

The current research challenges the popular assumption that pregnant women who use drugs are either unable or unwilling to take steps to promote a healthy pregnancy. Many qualitative studies have found that pregnant women who use drugs may engage in harm reduction strategies. These findings were confirmed in the present study, which uses data collected as part of the 1992 National Institute on Drug Abuse survey of women who delivered live-born infants in DC hospitals. These data also highlight the disadvantaged socioeconomic, emotional, and physical position of women who use cocaine relative to other women. The findings suggest a need for policies and responses to maternal drug use that recognize many women's desire to promote a healthy pregnancy as well as their diminished social and physical circumstances.

Download Full-text

Personality traits and their association with drug use and harm reduction strategies among polysubstance users who attend music festivals

Journal of Substance Use ◽

10.1080/14659891.2019.1672818 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 25 (2) ◽

pp. 177-185

Author(s):

Bella M. González Ponce ◽

Carmen Díaz-Batanero ◽

Belén del Valle Vera ◽

Daniel Dacosta-Sánchez ◽

Fermín Fernández-Calderón

Keyword(s):

Drug Use ◽

Harm Reduction ◽

Personality Traits ◽

Music Festivals ◽

Reduction Strategies

Download Full-text

Motives and Correlates of Anabolic-Androgenic Steroid Use With Stimulant Polypharmacy

Contemporary Drug Problems ◽

10.1177/0091450920919456 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 47 (2) ◽

pp. 118-135 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Renee Zahnow ◽

Jim McVeigh ◽

Geoff Bates ◽

Adam R. Winstock

Keyword(s):

Drug Use ◽

Heavy Drinking ◽

Psychoactive Drug ◽

Anabolic Androgenic Steroid ◽

Steroid Use ◽

Stimulant Use ◽

Concurrent Use ◽

Reduction Strategies ◽

Androgenic Steroids ◽

The Relationship

Individuals who use anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) may engage in concurrent psychoactive drug use recreationally and/or as an additional training aid. Aside from cannabis, individuals who use AAS most commonly report concurrent use of stimulants such as amphetamines and cocaine. In this study, we examine demographic characteristics, frequency of heavy drinking, and nightclubbing in a sample of 993 men from the Global Drug Survey 2015 who reported both AAS and psychoactive drug use before exploring the relationship between motivation for AAS use and the propensity to concurrently engage with stimulant-type substances. Results of a logistic regression analysis suggest that the propensity for concurrent use of AAS and stimulants is greater when AAS use is motivated by weight loss goals, while performance goals are associated with reduced odds of concurrent stimulant use. Identifying individuals who are at risk of polydrug use and associated harms can inform targeted harm reduction strategies.

Download Full-text

Investigating a Self-Management Harm Reduction Strategy for Symptoms of Attention-Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, Nicotine Dependence, Alcohol use, and Drug Use

10.21203/rs.3.rs-1082733/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ross D. Connolly ◽

Jacqueline Hesson

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Use ◽

Drug Use ◽

Harm Reduction ◽

Nicotine Dependence ◽

Mediating Effect ◽

Self Management ◽

Adhd Symptoms ◽

The Relationship ◽

Empirical Foundation ◽

Significant Mediator

Abstract Introduction: The purpose of the present research was to examine the mediating effect that self-management has on the relationships between ADHD symptoms and nicotine dependence, alcohol use, and drug use among an undergraduate student population.Method: Data were drawn from undergraduate psychology students (N=141). We tested self-management as a mediator between (1) ADHD symptoms and nicotine use, (2) ADHD symptoms and alcohol use, and (3) ADHD symptoms and drug use.Results: After controlling for potential socioeconomic covariates, self-management was shown to be a significant mediator between ADHD symptoms and drug use, but not nicotine dependence or alcohol use.Conclusion: We observed that self-management was a significant mediator between ADHD symptoms and drug use, which suggests that self-management may play a role in the relationship between ADHD symptoms and drug use. Those individuals who have symptoms associated with ADHD and who also have high levels of self-management are less likely to abuse substances. This research has provided an empirical foundation for the development of harm reduction interventions to address drug use among individuals with ADHD.

Download Full-text