Issues related to substance use/abuse and mental health are significant public health concerns. Substance abuse is considered an individual and community mental health problem. The relationship between substance use and positive mental well-being, however, is less well understood. The purpose of this study was to describe the mental well-being of a sample of occasional, recreational drug users. Drugnet was an on-line survey of recreational drug use by non-deviant adults via the WWW. Volunteer subjects completed the survey over the internet between March and September 1997. Mental health was assessed utilizing the General Well-being Schedule (GWBS). A complete demographic profile of the sample was taken. The GWBS scores of the sample were similar to the national norms of American adults. GWBS scores were correlated with frequency of use, intoxication levels and types of drugs consumed. In this study, I demonstrate and profile the existence of healthy, normally functioning adults who occasionally use, not abuse, psychoactive drugs.

The myths and misconceptions that surround cocaine use lead to the over-estimation of the prevalence of cocaine addiction in society. Health education curricula and drug policy do not differentiate between cocaine use and abuse. This study describes the cocaine consumption patterns in a nonclinical, non-incarcerated sample of cocaine users. The resulting patterns are compared to those found by Cohen (1989) and Cohen and Sas (1993, 1994, 1995). DRUGNET is an online survey of recreational drug use by nondeviant adults via the WWW. Self-selected subjects completed a survey over the Internet between February and October 1997 (N= 701). This sample was predominantly white (92%), male (85.3%), young (mean = 34.13 years, SD = 9.40, Range = 18 to 71), employed full-time (72.6%), and earned a median income of $50,000-69,999 (21.2%). The most prevalent pattern observed was a period of moderate consumption followed by declining use (52.7%). The second most common pattern observed was a period of increased consumption followed by steady decline to a lower stable level (25.5%). The most prevalent pattern of consumption found in this study and those reported by Cohen and Sas is that the most prevalent patterns all showed an eventual decline in consumption over time. Further, DRUGNET respondents exhibited similar patterns of use as those described by Cohen and Sas. The study's demonstration that cocaine use does not inevitably lead to increased use and probability of addiction raises serious questions about current policy and the content of most drug intervention models (i.e., DARE, court ordered treatment, etc.).

Drug abuse can be a serious, chronic, and relapsing health problem for both men and women. Among women, however, drug use and abuse present an array of different challenges to health and well-being. In addition, the health of women has been given less attention than the health of men. Little research has been conducted to identify and describe the invisible or hidden population of drug users, not abusers, who are not in treatment or incarcerated on drugrelated charges. The purpose of this study is to provide a descriptive and behavioral profile of adult, female, recreational drug users (i.e., not abusers). The instrument utilized for data collection and analysis was the on-line DRUGNET survey. Data was collected from volunteer, female subjects who completed the survey during 1997 and 1998 and who considered themselves to be "healthy, successful adults who occasionally use drugs." Mental health was assessed utilizing the General Well-Being Schedule (GWBS). Findings of this study support suggest that the overall health, happiness, and well-being of female, adult, recreational drug users does not appear to differ from the overall health, happiness, and well-being of the general, female, adult population.

America is a drug-oriented society. For many years people have used drugs for recreational purposes. However, there has been ongoing controversy regarding drug abuse and drug use. The purpose of this study was to assess attitudes and beliefs of successful adult drug users as it relates to drug reform, effectiveness of current drug laws, and problem experiences that they may have encountered as a result of their drug use. A qualitative study utilizing three open-ended questions regarding the aforementioned areas was conducted to analyze the 156 individuals' responses. The respondents were found to be in agreement on the ineffectiveness of current drug laws and for reform of these laws. Thirty-eight (62.3%) respondents also were in favor of marijuana, specifically, being legalized. Lawmakers should give careful consideration of reform of drug laws, especially as it relates to proper education about drugs and drug use as well as refining the rehabilitation programs and sanctioning of drug abusers. They should also consider the evidence that drug use does not always lead to drug abuse and that some recreational drug users can live normal, happy and successful lives in spite of their drug use. Future research should explore in greater detail and with larger samples adult drug users' attitudes, beliefs and behavior stemming from their use.

Humans have been using plant-derived drugs for as long as we have recorded history. Significant negative consequences related to drug abuse have occurred in the areas of health, social issues, family relations, legal systems, and economic productivity. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between meaning in life and drug abuse. An epidemiological, retrospective study was performed to compare personal meaning in life between individuals receiving inpatient treatment for drug abuse and a group of non-drug abusing controls. Study participants completed the Purpose-In-Life Test and Life Attitude Profile-Revised. On both instruments, the inpatient drug abusing subjects were found to have significantly different levels of meaning in life. Drug treatment and primary prevention programs should consider incorporating meaning in life considerations in their strategies. Future research should explore an expanded sample size of drug abusing participants exploring in greater detail life's subjective meaning.

The purpose of this research was to determine whether a selected group of factors are significant when trying to predict the use of alcohol by adolescents who live in rural areas. This research is important because most of the studies concerning drug and alcohol use in adolescents have focused on adolescents who live in urban areas. The results of such studies may not be generalizable to rural populations. The factors investigated included the following: availability of alcohol, peer influence, parental influence, tobacco use, gender, and grade level. These factors were chosen based on their inclusion in four prominent theories regarding adolescent drug and alcohol use. Data were collected for this study in April 1994 in Warren County, a rural county in Kentucky. The responses from 2,3 53 high school students were collected using the Warren County KIDS (Knowledge and Information about Drugs and Substances) Team Survey. The data were analyzed using a chi square analysis. All of the factors were found to be significantly related to alcohol use in rural adolescents. The results of the study revealed that having alcohol available, having peer pressure to use alcohol, having parents who used alcohol or who had permissive attitudes toward alcohol use, using tobacco, being male, and being in higher grades increased the likelihood that adolescents would begin using alcohol.

Drug abuse continues to be one of the most significant problems in the United States today. Attempts to understand drug abuse have produced numerous multidimensional prevention and treatment models. These models have resulted in the identification of psychological, social and biological risk factors related to drug abuse. In this study, the risk for drug abuse was assessed in 311 college students. A questionnaire was developed to measure risk. The questionnaire assessed risk for abuse predicted by the following factors: academic performance, coping and psychological health, religiosity, family and peer drug use, and the individual's past and current drug use. Based on their risk scores students were placed into low, medium, or high risk groups. The participants also completed the Purpose in Life Test and Life Attitude Profile-Revised questionnaire which measured meaning in life. The results indicated that high risk students scored significantly lower on the global and composite scores of meaning in life. Consistent with the theories of Viktor Frankl, a lack of meaning in life and existential vacuum were related to risk for drug abuse. The results of this study suggest that lack of meaning in life may be an important contributing factor to drug abuse. These data suggest that meaning in life is a relevant issue to be considered in the prevention and treatment of drug abuse.

Thesis (M.S.) in Nursing--University of Maine, 2009. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 48-54).

Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Auburn University, 2009. / Abstract. Includes bibliographic references (p.112-125).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Tulsa, 1993. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 60-69).