Factors Associated with Recreational Drug Use

Abstract

This study aimed to examine demographic, lifestyle, mental health and personality factors associated with illicit recreational drug use, heavy alcohol consumption and smoking in a community-based population sample. A postal questionnaire survey was conducted of people who were selected at random from the Electoral registers of Cardiff and Merthyr Tydfil. Illicit drug use was associated with risk taking, neuroticism, being male, having a higher education qualification, not being married, being unemployed, being aged under 25 years, smoking, heavy alcohol consumption and living in Cardiff. Smoking was associated with anxiety, depression, being female, lower income and educational qualifications, looking after the family or home, being aged over 25 years, illicit drug use and heavy alcohol use. Heavy alcohol consumption was associated with not being depressed, experiencing sleeping problems, risk taking, being male, higher income, no higher educational qualification, not being married, being a student, being aged under 25 years, smoking and illicit drug use. Illicit drug use, smoking and heavy alcohol use were strongly associated with each other. Illicit drug use was associated with alcohol use and, to an even greater extent, with smoking. Illicit drug and alcohol use were associated with similar characteristics, but smoking was associated with a rather different demographic combination.

A Cross-Sectional Study on Selected Correlates of High risk Sexual Behavior in Polish Migrants Resident in the United Kingdom

“…One motivation for trying recreational drugs is the desire for novel experiences [41,42]. According to Wilmoth, more intelligent people tend to value novelty more highly and may therefore be more likely to have tried recreational drugs.…”

Cigarette smoking and quitting behaviors among unemployed adults in the United States

“…Compared with employed persons, the unemployed have higher rates of cancer mortality (Antunes, Toporcov, & de Andrade, 2003;Lynge, 1997;Lynge & Andersen, 1997;Martikainen, 1990;Morris et al, 1994;PalacioMejia, Rangel-Gomez, Hernandez-Avila, & Lazcano-Ponce, 2003;Shi et al, 2005;Tsai et al, 2004), smoking-related cancer deaths (Kivimaki et al, 2003;Pasarin et al, 2004), cardiovascular disease (Brenner, 1987;Cook, Cummins, Bartley, & Shaper, 1982;Crombie, Kenicer, Smith, & Tunstall-Pedoe, 1989;Franks, Adamson, Bulpitt, & Bulpitt, 1991;Kivimaki et al, 2003;Martikainen, 1990;Morris et al, 1994;Shi et al, 2005;Tsai et al, 2004), and chronic bronchitis and obstructive lung disease (Cook et al, 1982). Unemployment has been associated with substance use (Hammarstrom, 1994;Khlat, Sermet, & Le Pape, 2004;Wadsworth, Moss, Simpson, & Smith, 2004), poverty (Saunders, 2002) and lower education and socioeconomic status (Claussen, 1993;Moser, Fox, & Jones, 1984). Health outcomes have been documented among the ever unemployed (Morris et al, 1994;Nylen et al, 2001), those unemployed at a young age (Nylen et al, 2001), and people unemployed more than 1-2 years (Greenwood, Thomson, Lowry, & Steen, 2003;Janlert, Asplund, & Weinehall, 1992; Leino-Arjas, Liira, Mutanen, Malmivaara, & Matikainen, 1999)<...>…”

Genetic variation in the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenocortical axis regulatory factor, T‐box 19, and the angry/hostility personality trait

“…Neurotic personality traits are a prominent characteristic of several psychiatric disorders according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM‐IV) axis I (Bienvenu et al 2004; Fanous & Kendler 2004; Schmitz et al 2003; Wadsworth et al 2004) and personality disorders on axis II (Skodol et al 2002). Neurotic traits, such as anxiety, impulsivity and aggression are increased among individuals exhibiting suicidal behavior (Apter et al 1993; Miotto et al 2003; Romanov et al 1994; Titelman et al 2004; Useda et al 2004).…”