NCJ Number
154344
Date Published
1987
Length
24 pages
Annotation
Data from 739 young adults ages 19-24 in Los Angeles were studied to determine how cocaine users differ from nonusers.
Abstract
Results revealed that one-third of the sample had used cocaine in the past 6 months; about 5 percent reported weekly or more frequent use. Many important differences existed between users and nonusers with respect to sociodemographic characteristics, the use of other licit and illicit drugs, deviant attitudes and behavior, the social context of use, physical health, mental health, and life satisfaction. The differences increased with greater involvement with the drug, to the point where cocaine abusers were strikingly different from nonusers. The most significant difference was the cocaine users' difficulty in the successful acquisition of adult role responsibilities, greater use of other drugs, engaging in more deviant behaviors, and immersion in a social context conducive to use. Smaller but noteworthy differences revealed that cocaine users had poor physical and emotional health and lowered life satisfaction compared to nonusers. Finally, several personality traits, particularly a lack of law abidance, predicted a significant increase in cocaine use from adolescence to young adulthood. Tables and 35 references