Forgoing plans for alcohol and cannabis use in daily life: Examining reasons for nonuse when use was planned in a predominantly white college student sample

Abstract

BackgroundThe reasons for college students to abstain from alcohol and cannabis use on a given day can inform efforts to prevent or intervene in those behaviors. Research on reasons for alcohol nonuse remains in its nascent stages and no study to date has examined reasons for cannabis nonuse on a given day. Here we examine reasons for nonuse among college students after they planned to use alcohol and/or cannabis.MethodsCollege students (N = 341; Mage = 19.79; 53% women; 74% White) from 3 universities completed 54 days of data collection across which approximately 50% were nonuse days. Each morning, participants indicated whether they planned to use that day; nonuse reasons were assessed the next morning, if applicable. Generalized linear mixed‐effects models were used to disentangle within‐ and between‐person effects.ResultsOn a given nonuse day (at the within‐person level), “work” and “school” were reasons associated with having no plan to use alcohol and “to feel in control” was linked to having no plan to use cannabis. “Did not want to get high” was related to forgoing plans (did not use when originally planned) for alcohol use at the within‐person level. At the between‐person level, “no desire” was associated with no plans for alcohol or cannabis use and “did not want to get high” was related to no plans for cannabis use. “School” and “could not get” were related to forgoing plans for alcohol and cannabis use, respectively, at the between‐person level.ConclusionAn examination of earlier intentions for alcohol and/or cannabis use on nonuse days yielded novel findings on the intention–behavior gap. Reasons for nonuse can inform intervention and prevention strategies (e.g., those involving social norms or just‐in‐time adaptive efforts) for alcohol and cannabis use on college campuses.

Protective strategies and motivations to control drinking among Brazilian college students: A qualitative study

“…A recent study by Stevens et al (2021) (33) pointed out that although there are many studies focused on the motivations related to why individuals drink, studies on reasons for not drinking at all or on a given day are less frequent, and found that the variability in non-use of alcohol on day when use was planned occurred more frequently at the within-person level (26%) than at the between-person level (74%) and recommended future studies could bene t from offering a free response option. This kind of study could make a signi cant contribution to enhancing alcohol or other drugs-related preventive or harm reduction interventions.…”

Protective strategies and motivations to control drinking among Brazilian college students: a qualitative study

“…A recent study by Stevens et al (2021) [ 33 ] pointed out that although there are many studies focused on the motivations related to why individuals drink, studies on reasons for not drinking at all or on a given day are less frequent. They reported that the variability in non-use of alcohol on days when the use was planned occurred more frequently at the within-person level (26%) than at the between-person level (74%).…”