Stages of drug use acquisition among college students: implications for the prevention of drug abuse

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the stages of drug use acquisition among college students, and the relationship between stage status and motivation to avoid drugs and the frequency of drug use. Six hundred and sixty-nine students from a mid-size public university were selected to participate in the survey. College students were found to differ with regard to their stage of habit acquisition across five drugs. Stage status for a particular drug was associated with motivation to avoid that drug, with less motivation generally being related to greater stage advancement. Stage of acquisition for certain drugs was also found to be related to the frequency of use of other drugs, with alcohol and marijuana stage status being associated with the consumption of the greatest number of drugs. These results suggest that an acquisition stage heuristic holds promise in increasing our understanding of important developmental stages of drug use.