Substance Use and Attendance Motives of Electronic Dance Music (EDM) Event Attendees: A Survey Study
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health January 19, 2023 Koen Ponnet, Bert Hauspie, Nicky Dirkx et al. 21 citations
Attendees of electronic dance music events are a high-risk group for substance use. A survey of 1345 Belgian attendees found that ecstasy/MDMA/Molly (52.28%), other synthetic hallucinogens (53.68%), ketamine (42.13%), amphetamines (40.45%), and alkyl nitrites (32.76%) were most used at festivals, outdoor parties, and raves. Cocaine was prevalent in nightclubs (32.29%), while cannabis (68.88%) and magic mushrooms (66.44%) were most used at private events. Overall enjoyment was the key motive for attendance, followed by music and socialization. Users rated many motives (dance, exploration, escapism, excitement, alcohol, drugs) as more important than non-users. Substance use prevalence depended on the event setting, and a three-dimensional classification of attendance motives was supported.