During a prospective study of the whole spectrum of drug-related problems treated in one month by 62 casualty departments in the Greater London area, 949 cases of deliberate self-poisoning were identified. Nearly three-quarters of the patients were under the age of 40 years and in all age groups women outnumbered men. Psychoactive drugs of some sort were used in 673 incidents (71%) and ordinary...

Interviews were conducted with 135 participants in the Glasgow dance (rave) scene. Drug use in this group was varied and not merely restricted to drugs associated with dance events, such as MDMA (Ecstasy). The setting in which each drug was used varied greatly. Amphetamine, nitrites and Ecstasy were the drugs most commonly used at dance events. Pharmaceuticals were least likely to be used in su...

Long-term cocaine and alcohol use is associated with neuropsychological impairments that implicate poor inhibitory mechanisms of behavioural control. This study tested acquisition and discrimination-reversal learning in a group of polydrug users (n 20) with a history of cocaine and heavy alcohol use and a group of age-matched controls (n 20). A cued go/nogo task measured subjects' ability to le...

This study examines the nature, extent and consequences of prescription drug abuse among 143 ecstasy users in Miami. Participants were recruited through nightclub and college campus outreach, and through respondent referrals. Instrumentation included the Risk Behavior Assessment, Substance Abuse Module and Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. Median age was 23, 42% were female a...

BACKGROUND Mid-to-late adolescence is a critical period for initiation of alcohol and drug problems, which can be reduced by targeted brief motivational interventions. Web-based brief interventions have advantages in terms of acceptability and accessibility and have shown significant reductions of substance use among college students. However, the evidence is sparse among adolescents with at-ri...