Hazardous Use of Gamma Hydroxybutyrate: Driving Under the Influence

• NCJ Number: 224480
• Journal: Substance Use & Misuse Volume: 43 Issue: 11 Dated: 2008 Pages: 1507-1520
• Author(s): Judith C. Barker; Hadi Karsoho
• Date Published: 2008
• Length: 14 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute on Drug Abuse
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article reports on focus group discussions that elicited participants’ descriptions of driving under the influence of gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB), with attention to motivations that led participants to decide whether or not to drive after ingesting this illegal psychoactive substance.

Abstract

Of the 51 current and past users of GHB, all of whom were recruited from the San Francisco Bay Area in 2004, the majority were against driving after GHB use. Just over one-fourth of the men strongly opposed driving after ingesting GHB; whereas, only 10 percent of the women had such strong opposition. Sixteen percent of the total sample (four men and four women) reported firsthand experiences of driving under the influence of GHB. The decision to drive after consuming drugs involved an interaction of three variables: drug characteristics (e.g., the type or purity), characteristics of the individual (e.g., individual metabolism and propensity for risk-taking), and the characteristics of the situation or context (e.g., distance to travel). These three factors all were in play regarding driving under the influence of GHB. The most common reason given for not driving after the ingestion of GHB was impairment of motor skills and reduction in mental alertness. The two symptoms reported as causing the most driving difficulties were rapid loss of consciousness or onset of stupor and periods of anterograde amnesia. Actions taken to control the risk of driving after ingesting GHB were the monitoring of the dose, management of the time between ingestion and driving, and checking behavioral activity levels. In addition to the restraints exercised by the user, a key deterrent to drunk driving was the monitoring and restraint exercised by friends with whom they were partying. Implications of the findings are discussed for law enforcement agencies and health professionals. 3 tables and 45 references