European Addiction Research
December 18, 2006
Jim Mccambridge, Adam Winstock, Neil Hunt et al.
113 citations
From 1999 to 2003, a survey of people who use drugs in dance contexts found rising lifetime and current use of psilocybin, ketamine, GHB, and nitrates. Current psilocybin use increased sharply in 2002–2003, while ketamine use rose more gradually throughout the period. LSD use declined, mirroring trends in general population surveys. These increases among dance drug users may signal wider prevalence increases among young people, warranting careful study and development of effective interventions.
European Addiction Research
January 1, 1998
Peter Schuster, Roselind Lieb, Christina Maria Lamertz et al.
96 citations
A community survey of 3,021 adolescents and young adults aged 14–24 in Munich, Germany, found that in 1995, 4% of males and 2.3% of females reported using ecstasy, while hallucinogen use was reported by 3% of males and about 2% of females. Compared to a 1990 survey, consumption of both substance types had at least doubled. About two-thirds of lifetime users were regular users. The prevalence of DSM-IV abuse and dependence on ecstasy and related substances was about 1%, identical to rates for hallucinogens, indicating significant dependence potential. The increase was strongest in younger age groups, with a notable rise among women.
European Addiction Research
January 1, 2002
Julio Bobes, Pilar A. Sáiz, María Paz García‐portilla et al.
34 citations
Among young men entering compulsory military service in Asturias, Spain, between 1995 and 1999, lifetime use of MDMA was 10.9%, past-year use 7.8%, and past-month use 4.5%, ranking fifth among illicit drugs ever tried. Once MDMA was used, reuse was common: 71% of ever-users had used it in the past year, and 41% in the past month. MDMA users had more extensive drug histories than non-users. Those who used MDMA in the past year scored higher on Neuroticism and Psychoticism subscales of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-A and reported greater sensation seeking.
European Addiction Research
January 1, 2020
Franz Moggi, Deborah Schorno, Leila M. Soravia et al.
22 citations
Young men with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms at age 20 are more likely to start using certain substances and develop alcohol use disorder by age 25, even after accounting for conduct disorder and sensation seeking. ADHD predicted the initiation of hallucinogens, meth-/amphetamines, ecstasy/MDMA, non-medical use of ADHD medication and sedatives, and alcohol use disorder, but not alcohol or smoking initiation. No escalation of weekly drinking, smoking, or annual cannabis use occurred between ages 20 and 25. Identifying ADHD in early adulthood may help target interventions to reduce later drug use and alcohol problems.
European Addiction Research
January 1, 2021
Matthijs Blankers, Daan van der Gouwe, Lavinia Stegemann et al.
21 citations
During the COVID-19 pandemic, online trade in psychoactive substances via Telegram in the Netherlands shifted: stimulant-related posts (ecstasy, cocaine, amphetamine) decreased during the spring 2020 lockdown, while posts about psychedelics (ketamine, LSD, 2C-B) and other substances increased and remained higher afterward. Of 70,226 posts in two Telegram groups from December 2019 to June 2020, 5,643 were substance-related, and only 6.3% were requests, indicating a sellers' market.
European Addiction Research
September 25, 2024
Ioanna A. Vamvakopoulou, David Nutt
13 citations
Classic psychedelics (psilocybin, LSD, DMT, mescaline) and atypical ones (ketamine, ibogaine, 5-MeO-DMT, MDMA) show promise as therapeutic alternatives for addiction, improving psychological and physiological symptoms of dependence. The review covers pharmacology, properties from pre-clinical and clinical research, and evidence from controlled studies and naturalistic or ceremonial settings, identifying proposed therapeutic mechanisms. Understanding ancient and present-day knowledge of these substances may offer hope for treating addiction, especially in individuals who have not responded to conventional methods.
European Addiction Research
January 1, 2024
Ruben Johannes Jacob Van Beek, Matthijs Blankers, Marloes Kleinjan et al.
3 citations
Young adults who use ecstasy in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands show three similar patterns of polydrug use: traditional polydrug use (UK 28%, NL 40%), stimulant and ketamine use (UK 48%, NL 52%), and extensive polydrug use involving stimulants, depressants, and psychedelics (UK 24%, NL 8%). UK users more often consume MDMA as powder/crystalline at higher doses, while Dutch users prefer tablets. Most respondents in both countries intend to reduce but not quit their use. The patterns are structurally similar across countries, though individual substance frequencies and preferred MDMA form differ.
European Addiction Research
January 1, 2024
Anne-Sophie Derne, Jean-Yves Jouzeau, Elise Pape et al.
Hexahydrocannabinol (HHC), a substance with effects similar to THC, was detected in oral fluid samples from drivers in France after being classified as a narcotic in June 2023. Among 867 samples collected through December 2023, 16 were positive for HHC, all from male drivers aged 19 to 58. HHC always appeared alongside THC, with mean HHC concentration 35 ng/mL and median 10 ng/mL. In 11 cases with high THC-to-HHC ratios, impaired alertness likely resulted mainly from THC, and a linear correlation between THC and HHC concentrations was observed. The findings suggest HHC use may be spreading in the general population.
European Addiction Research
June 1, 1999
D Basu, A Malhotra, A Bhagat et al.
A case-control study compared 20 patients with cannabis psychosis to 20 patients diagnosed with acute schizophrenic episode. Both groups were similar in demographics, family history, premorbid personality, and certain symptoms. However, the cannabis psychosis group had shorter psychosis duration, more reactive and congruent affect, less formal thought disorder, and a more varied clinical picture. Relapse in the cannabis group was always preceded by cannabis use. The findings suggest that cannabis psychosis may be a distinct condition from schizophrenia in India, and clinicians should carefully assess cannabis use in acute psychosis to avoid overdiagnosing schizophrenia.