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.

No description available.

Aims: (1) Analyze the roles of α7 and α4β2 nicotinic receptors (nAChRs) in nicotine sensitization in adolescent male and female rats neonatally treated with quinpirole as well as their effects on brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) 1 h and 24 h post drug treatment. (2) Analyze the effects of behavioral sensitization to nicotine on α7 and α4β2 nAChR density in the nucleus accumbens and dorsal striatum. Methods: Animals were neonatally treated with quinpirole (1 mg/kg) or saline from postnatal days (P)1-21. Beginning on P33, animals were ip injected with nicotine (0.5 mg/kg free base) or saline and tested every second day from P33-49. Approximately 30 min before injection, animals were ip injected with either the α7 nicotinic receptor (nAChR) antagonist methllycacontine (MLA; 2 or 4 mg/kg) or the α4β2 nAChR antagonist dihyro-β-erythrodine (DhβE; 1 or 3 mg/kg). Brain tissue was taken either 1 h or 24 h after the last day of testing. In a second experiment, animals were identically treated and brain tissue analyzed for nAChR density using the autoradiographic technique. Results: Neonatal quinpirole enhanced nicotine sensitization and the 3 mg/kg dose DhβE effectively blocked nicotine sensitization on Day 9 but enhanced the hypoactive response to nicotine on Day 1. MLA appears more important in the acute response to nicotine. Neonatal quinpirole sensitized the accumbal BDNF response to nicotine, but resulted in a decrease of accumbal mTOR. The nAChR density data will be presented. Conclusions: The α4β2 receptor played a critical role in the development of adolescent nicotine sensitization, and both nAChRs appear to be important in accumbal BDNF and in the mTOR response, demonstrating their important role in synaptic strength.

This descriptive study was designed to determine whether substance abusers could be differentially characterized by past involvement in crimes and, further, whether there is a relationship between the type of substance abused and the degree of violence of the crimes committed. By comparing the socio-demographic characteristics, substance-use, and strain-inducing events reported by 598 residential and outpatient treatment seekers in the Kentucky Treatment Outcome and Performance Pilot Studies Enhancement Project, this study provides further understanding of the crime-substance relationship. This study utilized Robert Agnew's 1992 general strain theory. Results suggest that substance addicts and substance users can be characterized in terms of their previous involvement in crime and their perceptions of personal strain. However, further differentiation between nonviolent and violent criminal offenders and type of substance used is not substantiated by findings presented in this study.

This study examines the sociodemographics, drug use, criminal, and treatment histories of 598 residential and outpatient legally coerced drug treatment seekers in the Kentucky Treatment Outcome and Performance Pilot Studies Enhancement Project. Analyses examined whether users/addicts entering chemical dependency treatment under legal coercion differed from nonlegally coerced treatment seekers. Stanley Cohen's theoretical model of social control provided the theoretical framework for the study. Results showed demographic and behavioral differences were noted between respondents under no coercion and those under legal coercion on gender, age, educational status, pretreatment criminality and current treatment modality. In addition, differences between the legally coerced and not legally coerced clients varied across geographic regions.

The purpose of this study was to determine the degree of substance use (alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs) among members of the lesbian community. Additionally, the investigator attempted to determine if there was a relationship between negative social identity and low selfesteem that is reflected in higher rates of substance abuse. The data collection method employed in this study was a type of nonprobability sampling procedure referred to as a purposive sample. The questionnaire was derived from instruments used by other researchers and validated by an expert panel. In order to select respondents from the lesbian population to be included in the sample, the survey was placed on a web page and posted on the Internet. Data were collected on 76 lesbian and bisexual female respondents during a seven-month period. Results from a Pearsons Correlation, one-tailed test of significance determined that there was a significant, positive relationship (pc.0001) between social identity and selfesteem. Though no significant relationship existed between social identity and substance abuse, respondents with higher levels of self-esteem reported significant uses of sedatives (pc.05), tranquilizers (p<.05), speed (pc.Ol), and inhalants (p<.05).

No description available.