Substance use among young people: the relationship between perceived functions and intentions

Abstract

If these findings are confirmed in larger studies, educational and preventative efforts may need to acknowledge the positive personal and social functions which different substances serve for young people. The results also call into question the extent to which the experience of negative effects influences future patterns of use.

Prevalence and Predictors of Club Drug Use among Club-Going Young Adults in New York City

“…As the regression model showed, being male was not predictive of ecstasy use, which confirms other studies. [10][11][12][13] However, female club goers may even be more likely to use cocaine during their lives. Taken as a whole, men are more likely to be users of club drugs further on the fringe such as ketamine, GHB, and methamphetamine than their female counterparts.…”

Cannabis and anxiety: a critical review of the evidence

“…Relaxation and relief from tension remain the most common effects of using cannabis and the most common reasons for using the drug (Boys et al, 1999;Hathaway, 2003;Reilly et al, 1998).…”

“…The most popular explanation for this relationship is that subjects with high levels of anxiety and patients with anxiety disorders use cannabis as a form of 'self-medication' (Arendt et al, 2007;Stewart et al, 1997). Supporting this idea, many subjects report using cannabis to relax, to cope with stress and as a way to reduce anxiety (Bonn-Miller et al, 2007;Boys et al, 1999;Buckner et al, 2008;Hathaway, 2003;Ogborne et al, 2000;Reilly et al, 1998). Moreover, the expectation that cannabis will reduce anxiety has been associated with its use in non-clinical undergraduates as well as in psychotic subjects (Schofield et al, 2006) and in their relatives (Smith et al, 2008) as well as in individuals with HIV/AIDS (Prentiss et al, 2004;Woolridge et al, 2005), among other conditions.…”

Gateway to doping? Supplement use in the context of preferred competitive situations, doping attitude, beliefs, and norms

“…Similar to substances abuse, where experimentation has shown greater influence on future drug use than any other vulnerability factor (Boys et al, 1999;Ridenour et al, 2003), it is assumed that doping use in sport grows out of habitual engagement in performance enhancing practices (Petróczi & Aidman, 2008), potentially from experimentation with nutritional supplements possessing ergogenic properties. This may be particularly applicable for young athletes who could become accustomed to using chemical substances to enhance performance and wellbeing from a young age (Braun et al 2009;Petróczi et al 2008b).…”