Substance Use & Misuse
January 1, 2005
144 citations
At Dutch dance parties in 2001-2002, partygoers used MDMA mainly for its energetic and euphoric effects. Greater MDMA use was linked to hardcore and trance/mainstream party styles, motivations of euphoria, sexiness, self-insight, and sociability (negatively), and to gender, lower education, and friends' MDMA use. Women reported more acute negative effects—depression, confusion, loss of control, suspiciousness, edginess, nausea, dizziness—than men. Women motivated to cope with problems by using MDMA were particularly at risk. For men, polydrug use and motivation to conform to friends were associated with negative effects.
Substance Use & Misuse
January 1, 2005
Karen Mcelrath
102 citations
Most MDMA users report feelings of emotional closeness without a desire for penetrative sex, but some, especially gay and bisexual females, use the drug specifically for sexual enhancement. Among those who do have sex during MDMA episodes, sexual risk taking—such as having multiple partners and not using condoms—is common. The study is based on in-depth interviews with 98 current and former MDMA users conducted in 1997 and 1998. Most had used MDMA in the prior six months, and many had used it 100 times or more.
Substance Use & Misuse
January 1, 2008
Sarah Riley, Graham Blackman
36 citations
A 2004 survey of 174 magic mushroom users in Edinburgh and Bristol, UK, found that consumption was infrequent but intense: 47% used 4-12 times per year, with an average dose of 12 g per session. Users reported laughter, hallucinations, altered perspective (41-74%), and feeling closer to nature (49%). Negative experiences included paranoia (35%) and anxiety (32%). Use occurred within a wider recreational drug and alcohol culture. Focus groups aided interpretation. The authors recommend future research into negative experiences and discuss implications for policy and harm reduction.
Substance Use & Misuse
October 24, 2020
Balthazar Bazin, David Duroy, Michel Lejoyeux
27 citations
About one in five French medical students (21.5%) had tried MDMA, with use more common among males, those who also used tobacco, cannabis, or other illicit drugs, and those who drank alcohol frequently. Most users took the drug in pill form, primarily at parties or raves. The findings suggest that MDMA experimentation is relatively common in this population and is linked to broader patterns of substance use.
Substance Use & Misuse
April 25, 2022
Dimitri Daldegan‐bueno, Dóra Révész, Paulo Rogério Morais et al.
15 citations
Regular ceremonial use of ayahuasca is associated with lower anxiety, less negative affect, higher intrinsic religiosity, and reduced past-month use of both licit and illicit substances compared to non-regular use. Regular users also reported lower general and physical quality of life. The study compared 101 regular users with 185 non-regular users in Brazil, finding no differences in lifetime drug use between groups after adjusting for sociodemographic factors.
Substance Use & Misuse
July 2, 2013
David Michael Wood, Paul Ivor Dargan
14 citations
Alpha-methyltryptamine (AMT), a novel psychoactive substance available online, became less available and cheaper between March and October 2012. The number of internet sites selling AMT dropped from 44 to 31. Bulk purchases (100 g) were less expensive than recreational-user quantities (100 mg), and overall prices decreased. Internet snapshot surveys provide data that, combined with other sources, offer a fuller understanding of the availability and use of novel psychoactive substances.
Substance Use & Misuse
June 5, 2025
Anna Wang, Ryan Athay, Nae Won et al.
2 citations
A survey conducted in 20 US urban cities over a single weekend detected recent use of recreational cannabis, psilocybin, and cocaine. Reported prevalence of these substances varied by region, indicating that prevention messages should be customized for different areas of the country.
Substance Use & Misuse
December 17, 2025
Markus D Moore, Andrew Moore, Saeed K Alzghari
Ibogaine shows promise as a treatment for opioid dependence, but more research is required to evaluate its safety and effectiveness.