Global drugs survey 2017: global overview and highlights.

A total of 119,846 people from over 50 countries participated in GDS2017. Of these 115,523 had their data used in the preparation of these reports

Inhaling alcohol vapour or mist: An international study of use, effects and harms

Objectives. To determine the prevalence, patterns of use and consequences of inhaling alcohol vapour or mist. Design. Cross-sectional survey recruiting an international non-probability sample of people who use alcohol and other drugs as part of the annual Global Drug Survey (GDS). Setting. Online questionnaire translated into 19 languages. Participants. 110,557 people took part in GDS2020 and 88,124 completed a question about inhaling alcohol in the last 12 months. The focus of this study is GDS2020 respondents who reported inhaling alcohol mist/vapour from a balloon in the last 12 months. Main outcomes. Last 12-month use of alcohol vapour, onset duration, intensity of effects, value for money compared with alcohol, and incidence of falls/injuries. Results. A total of 803 people reported the use of alcohol vapour in the last 12 months, with 51% of the sample coming from 3 countries: Australia, Denmark and England. Two-thirds were male, and they were more likely to be under 25. 45.7% reported that they were a bit/very drunk before they inhaled alcohol. 51.3% reported that the effects lasted for less than 5 minutes. Both the intensity of effect and perceived value for money showed a normal distribution on a 10-point scale. 12.7% of respondents reported falling/injuring themselves. Conclusion. Inhaling alcohol vapour appears to be more common among younger, higher-risk drinkers. The rapid onset of action and inability to titrate consumption to effect is a risk for acute injury. We consider that alcohol is harmful enough through oral consumption without adding to the risk of injury by offering such a potentially risky additional administration method

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

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

Perceptions of alcohol health warning labels in a large international cross sectional survey of people who drink alcohol

Aims: This paper aimed to explore perceptions of alcohol health warning labels among a large international sample of people who drink alcohol. Methods: The Global Drug Survey (GDS) is the world’s largest annual cross sectional survey of drug use. Seven health warning labels were presented (relating to heart disease, liver, cancer, calories, violence, taking two days off and the myth of benefits to moderate drinking). People were asked if they were aware of the information, believed it, if it was personally relevant, and if it would change their drinking. This paper included data from 75,969 respondents from 29 countries/regions who reported the use of alcohol in the last 12 months, collected during November-December 2017 (GDS2018). Results: The fact that drinking less can reduce the risk of seven types of cancer was the least well known, and yet was demonstrated to encourage almost 40% of drinkers to consider drinking less. Women and high risk drinkers were more likely to indicate they would reduce their drinking in response to all labels. Personal relevance was identified as a key predictor of individual responses. Conclusions: Findings highlight the potential of a range of health messages displayed on alcoholic beverages to raise awareness of alcohol related harms and potentially support a reduction in drinking. Further research should explore what influences personal relevance of messages as this may be a barrier to effectiveness

Kannabiksen käyttäjä perusterveydenhuollossa

Jopa joka neljännellä 25-34-vuotiaalla on Suomessa kokemusta kannabiksen käytöstä ja 15-24-vuotiaista noin 10 % on käyttänyt tätä ainetta edellisen vuoden aikana. Suurin osa (noin 90 %) ei tule aineesta riippuvaiseksi eikä saa merkittäviä psyykkisiä oireita. Osalla säännöllinen käyttö kuitenkin johtaa erilaisiin ongelmiin (terveys, tunne-elämä, käyttäytyminen, sosiaaliset ja juridiset kysymykset). Jos kannabiksen käytön aiheuttamat haitat ovat vain lieviä, asiaan voidaan yrittää vaikuttaa lyhytneuvonnalla perusterveydenhuollossa. Terveyskeskuksessa voidaan antaa myös ongelmattomat vieroitushoidot ja hoitaa kannabiksesta johtuvat lievät oireet, kuten bronkiitti ja unihäiriöt. Lasten ja nuorten, raskaana olevien sekä psyykkisistä oireista kärsivien kannabiksen käyttäjien hoito kuuluu aina päihdehäiriöihin erikoistuneeseen yksikköön

Intention to reduce drinking alcohol and preferred sources of support: An international cross-sectional study

Introduction. Drinking alcohol is legal in most countries of the world. Given the social acceptance of this behavior despite potential negative impact on health, help-seeking behavior could differ when compared to other drugs. This paper aimed to assess intentions to reduce drinking and the preferred sources of support among a large international sample of people who drink alcohol. Materials and methods. The Global Drug Survey (GDS) is the world’s largest annual survey of drug use. This paper included data from 82,190 respondents from 12 countries on four continents who reported the use of alcohol in the last 12 months, collected during November 2016 - January 2017 (GDS2017). Results. Overall, 34.8% said they would like to drink less in the following 12 months and 7.6% said they would like help to drink less. Online tools were the preferred source of support to reduce drinking by respondents from Australia, New Zealand, and the UK, those with low AUDIT scores and without a mental health condition. Specialist counselling was most preferred by those from Germany, Switzerland, and Denmark and those with high AUDIT scores, not educated to degree level and with a mental health condition. Conclusion. Interest in online interventions for harmful drinking is significant and highest among people who drink at low risk. Online tools should offer brief screening and feedback, ensuring that people with high risk drinking patterns are referred to more specialist services

Who uses digital drugs? An international survey of ‘binaural beat’ consumers

Introduction: Digital drugs, or binaural beats claimed to elicit specific cognitive or emotional states, are a phenomenon about which little is known. In this brief report, we describe demographic and drug use correlates of binaural beat use, patterns of use, reasons for use and methods of access. Methods: The Global Drug Survey 2021 was translated into 11 languages; 30 896 responses were gathered from 22 countries. Results: The use of binaural beats to experience altered states was reported by 5.3% of the sample (median age 27; 60.5% male), with the highest rates from the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Poland, Romania and the United Kingdom. Controlling for all variables, age and non-male gender predicted binaural beat use, as did the recent use of cannabis, psychedelics and novel/new drugs. Respondents most commonly used binaural beats ‘to relax or fall asleep’ (72.2%) and ‘to change my mood’ (34.7%), while 11.7% reported trying ‘to get a similar effect to that of other drugs’. This latter motivation was more commonly reported among those who used classic psychedelics (16.5% vs. 7.9%; P < 0.001). The majority sought to connect with themselves (53.1%) or ‘something bigger than themselves’ (22.5%) through the experience. Binaural beats were accessed primarily through video streaming sites via mobile phones. Discussion and Conclusions: This paper establishes the existence of the phenomenon of listening to binaural beats to elicit changes in embodied and psychological states. Future research directions include the cultural context for consumption and proximate experiences, including co-use with ingestible drugs and other auditory phenomena. © 2022 The Authors. Drug and Alcohol Review published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs

Acceptability of targeting social embarrassment in a digital intervention to reduce student alcohol consumption: A qualitative think aloud study

Objective: Increasing knowledge about alcohol related harms, changing social norms, or encouraging drinking within safe unit levels often fails to change behaviour in young people. A novel intervention called ‘OneTooMany’ was developed which targets the short term social, and potentially, embarrassing consequences of drinking alcohol. The aim of this paper was to explore its acceptability, and to determine any features that might influence its effectiveness as a means of reducing alcohol consumption. Methods: Participants were 23 young adults (aged 18-30) currently studying at university (N=18) or in the first six months following graduation (N=5). A think aloud interview approach was employed. Three main themes were identified in a deductive thematic analysis. Results: Embarrassing experiences were a normalised part of drinking occasions, while some were actively avoided, others were celebrated. Humour served as a device to engage and interest participants, but could also diminish intervention messages. OneTooMany prompted reflections on many regrettable drinking experiences, but the participants did not see themselves as the target audience for this intervention. Conclusions: Interventions may benefit from focussing on some of the short term, embarrassing consequences of excessive alcohol consumption. Further research is needed to ensure that reflections on past behaviour are helpful in addressing future behaviour

Where and what you drink is linked to how much you drink: A survey of alcohol use in 17 countries

Background:  This paper aimed to explore the differences in subjective experiences of intoxication depending on drinking location and drink type. Methods: Data came from 32,194 respondents to The Global Drug Survey (GDS) 2015, an annual, cross-sectional, online survey. Respondents selected their usual drinking location (home alone: home with partner/family: house parties: pubs/bars or clubs) and usual drink (wine; beer/cider/lager; spirits or alcopops/coolers). They indicated how many drinks they required to reach three stages of intoxication (feeling the effects; an ideal stage of intoxication; and the tipping point) and how frequently they reached each stage. Results: Drink type affected grams of alcohol reported to reach the tipping point: 109gm wine, 127gm alcopops, 133gm of beer, and 134gm of spirts. Respondents who drank at home alone, or in clubs reached their tipping point more frequently compared to other locations. Conclusions: Where people drink, and the type of alcohol they drink, affected the amount of alcohol reported to reach different stages of intoxication. Understanding why different drinking locations, and drink types lead to a need for greater consumption to reach an ideal state of drunkenness, such as social cues from other people who drink, may enable people to reduce their drinking