title: Alcohol and illegal drug use behaviors and prescription opioids use: how do nonmedical and medical users compare, and does motive to use really matter?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study compares illegal drug and alcohol use behaviors between medical and nonmedical users of prescription opioids (PO) and nonmedical users with distinct motives to use.
  
  
  METHODS
  An ethically approved cross-sectional study (2010) was conducted on a representative sample of private university students (n = 570), using a self-filled anonymous questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  About 25% reported using PO only medically and 15% nonmedically. The prevalence of alcohol and illegal drug use was consistently higher among nonmedical than medical PO users. Adjusting for age and gender, lifetime medical users of PO were more likely to use marijuana only (OR = 1.8, 95% CI: 1.1, 2.8), while nonmedical users were at higher odds of using marijuana, ecstasy, cocaine/crack, and alcohol problematically. Compared to nonusers, students who took PO nonmedically for nontherapeutic reasons were more likely to use various illegal drugs, but nonmedical users who took PO to relieve pain/help in sleep were only more likely to use marijuana (OR = 2.5, 95% CI: 1.1, 5.4) and alcohol (e.g. alcohol abuse; OR = 3.8, 95% CI: = 1.4, 10.1).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Youth who use PO nonmedically to self-treat have a different alcohol and illegal drug-using profile than those who take it for nontherapeutic reasons.
authors: Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, American University of Beirut, Beirut 1107-2020, Lebanon. lg01@aub.edu.lb
authors: Lilian A
authors: LA
authors: Ghandour
authors: Donna S
authors: DS
authors: El Sayed
authors: Silvia S
authors: SS
authors: Martins
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D055030:Drug Users / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs; D007861:Lebanon / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D063487:Prescription Drug Misuse; D012651:Self Medication / Q000523:psychology; D057566:Self Report; D013334:Students; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D014495:Universities
chemical_list: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D013287:Illicit Drugs
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