Smoking, alcohol and drug use in youth and adults with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder

Abstract

BackgroundPrevious research suggests a relationship between attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and smoking, alcohol and illicit drug use, however most studies have focused on adolescents or young adults, or clinically ascertained samples.AimsTo analyse population-based data on the relationship between ADHD and at-risk health behaviours in adolescents and adults.MethodData were derived from a Statistics Canada population-based health survey. The association between the diagnosis of ADHD and smoking, alcohol use, and illicit drug use was examined.ResultsIndividuals with ADHD started smoking at a younger age. They consumed more alcoholic drinks on drinking days, and women with ADHD were more likely to engage in binge drinking. Women over the age of 25 and men with ADHD were more likely to meet alcohol-dependence lifetime criteria. People with ADHD were at a greater risk of drug misuse and dependence.ConclusionsPeople with ADHD are more likely to partake in at-risk behaviours.Declaration of interestNone.Copyright and usage© The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2017. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Non-Commercial, No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) license.

Sex Differences in Substance Use, Prevalence, Pharmacological Therapy, and Mental Health in Adolescents with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

“…Our results show that ADHD was associated with SUD in adolescence and that girls with ADHD were at an increased risk for some types of SUD, including tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, and cannabis [43][44][45][46]52,55,59]. Indeed, the body of research suggesting that girls with ADHD may be at increased risk for SUD is growing [29,32,34,[61][62][63][64]. Two studies, by Biederman et al (2002) [65] and Biederman and Faraone (2004) [66], indicated that ADHD in girls was a greater risk factor for SUD than ADHD in boys, noting that girls with the disorder were at particular risk in early adolescence.…”

“…This means that the disorder itself is considered a risk factor for SUD [30,31]. Follow-up studies have highlighted a higher prevalence of substance use in the population of adolescents with ADHD relative to the general population [32][33][34]. Nonetheless, a review on sex differences in relation to the disorder has never been published.…”

Prevalence of Childhood Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Methamphetamine Dependence: A Descriptive Study

“…Researchers have suggested that some drug abusers tend to use drugs or alcohol to mitigate their unpleasant emotional states (11). According to research reports, the relationship between the psychological state and drug abuse has been confirmed in most studies (12).…”

Exploring the Long-Term Health Consequences of ADHD using a Multivariable Mendelian Randomization Network Approach

“…The association between ADHD and CAD/COPD is likely mediated by a variety of factors. First, heavy alcohol use has been associated with ADHD (Brinkman et al, 2015;Charach et al, 2011;Osland et al, 2017) and is considered a risk factor for CAD (Mostofsky et al, 2016;Roerecke et al, 2011;Roerecke and Rehm, 2010). Second, those with ADHD are more likely to be or have been a frequent smoker (Kollins et al, 2005;Milberger et al, 1997;Osland et al, 2017;Pomerleau et al, 1995), and smoking is in turn a risk factor for both CAD (Hackshaw et al, 2018) and COPD (Pauwels et al, 2001).…”

“…First, heavy alcohol use has been associated with ADHD (Brinkman et al, 2015;Charach et al, 2011;Osland et al, 2017) and is considered a risk factor for CAD (Mostofsky et al, 2016;Roerecke et al, 2011;Roerecke and Rehm, 2010). Second, those with ADHD are more likely to be or have been a frequent smoker (Kollins et al, 2005;Milberger et al, 1997;Osland et al, 2017;Pomerleau et al, 1995), and smoking is in turn a risk factor for both CAD (Hackshaw et al, 2018) and COPD (Pauwels et al, 2001). However, ADHD has also been linked to lower educational attainment (EA) (Polderman et al, 2010), which in turn has been associated with CAD (Kubota et al, 2017;Qureshi et al, 2003), COPD (Gjerdevik et al, 2015), and increased drinking frequency and smoking initiation (Latvala et al, 2014).…”