Researchers examined the association between perceptions of harm from substance use and social self-efficacy (SSE) in a sample of early adolescents in public middle schools (n = 4,122). One-way analysis of covariance and post hoc tests were used to assess the relationships between perceptions of harm from tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine…

The current study analyzes a sample of questions about drugs asked online by youth who participated in the National Institute on Drug Abuse's (NIDA) "Drug Facts Chat Day." The types of drugs youth asked about were coded into 17 substance categories, and the topics they raised were coded into seven thematic categories. The top five…

Drug use in mainstream rave parties has been widely documented in a large number of studies. However, not much is known about drug use in underground raves. The purpose of this study is to find out the polysubstance use patterns at underground raves. Two hundred and fifty-two young people between the ages of 18 and 30 who went to underground raves…

Statistics show that the prevalence of crack cocaine use and embalming fluid and phencyclidine (PCP)-laced cigarettes or marijuana sticks, commonly referred to on the street as "fry" or "wet" is a problem; however, the relationship between these substances of abuse and concurrent polydrug use is unknown. In the present study, a…

Positive and negative expectancies regarding the behavioral effects of alcohol and cocaine were assessed and used to predict attitudes toward their use across four age groups. Children and adolescents appeared to overgeneralize their beliefs about alcohol to a less familiar drug, cocaine, perceiving the effects of the two drugs similarly. Only…

Compared drug-related risk behavior of drug users whose preferred injection drug was cocaine and users with preference for heroin or no preference between the two drugs (total n=422). Found cocaine preference unrelated to likelihood of needle sharing overall, needle sharing with strangers, needle sharing at shooting galleries, and failure to use…

Uses data from the U.S. Army's Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Program to analyze which treatment and demographic variables have an effect on cocaine treatment outcomes. Results suggest the following treatment variables had an effect on outcomes: type of treatment; length of time in treatment; and the length of time since the patient…

Compares urinalysis results for cocaine and opiates to self-reported three-day cocaine and opiate use. Statistics indicate that the strength of agreement between the two drug use measures is consistent over time. These findings suggest that the need for urinalysis should be reconsidered. (Contains 16 references and 2 tables.) (GCP)

Previous studies of the drug-use patterns of institutionalized youth found that they followed the standard progression of drug use from marijuana to hard drugs. Utilizing a probabilistic assessment of models, this study supports a modified gateway sequences in which cocaine use appears as an intermediate step between marijuana use and use of other…

Patient records (N=667) were reviewed from an eighteen-month period of a private hospital adult addictive disease unit. Thirty-eight percent of admissions were from rural areas; males had a longer duration of use; African-American patients were overrepresented; a larger percentage of males had legal problems; and those from rural areas were more…

Profiles two women over an eight-month study who abused alcohol and other drugs while pregnant and describes their recovery from the addiction. Examines, from an ecological framework, the women's experiences with drug addiction, treatment, and recovery, and recounts their situation through each. (JPS)

Performed secondary analysis of data from National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, involving 12,686 subjects, to examine patterns of alcohol and cocaine abuse. Found joint alcohol and cocaine abusers demonstrated highest levels of previous 30-day and lifetime drug use, high levels of delinquent activity, and highest rates of unemployment and marital…

Reviews literature on prevalence, mechanisms of fetal toxicity, effects of exposure, socioeconomic factors, and social-support programs to increase awareness of the effects of prenatal exposure to cocaine. Emphasizes the need for drug education and social-support programs for disadvantaged pregnant women to prevent and control cocaine use. (EMK)

Assesses the effects of a sixth- and seventh-grade substance-abuse-prevention program in the twelfth-grade year. Questionnaires administered to students who had completed the two-year intervention and students with no intervention (N=262) showed that the effects evident in seventh grade had not been maintained through twelfth grade. (Author/MKA)

Reports the results of an analysis of survey data collected from male inner-city high school students pertaining to firearms possession, use of heroin, cocaine, and crack, drug selling, and commission of crimes with weapons. No evidence of a progressive, linear relationship between level of drug use and gun possession was found. (JPS)