STAGE OF ALCOHOL AND DRUG-USE AMONG YOUNG-ADULTS

This study examined the stages of drug use habit acquisition and change among college students. A survey of 770 students from a midsize, public university in the southeastern United States was conducted. The greatest number of students per stage included those not thinking of using cocaine (99%) and smokeless tobacco (98%), those not thinking of stopping alcohol use (43%), those thinking about or beginning to use alcohol (9%), and those thinking about or starting to quit cigarette smoking (7%). Motivation to avoid a certain drug was significantly associated with the stage status of that drug for all drugs studied (p's=.0001).