Article Figures & Data
Tables
- Table 1
Baseline Characteristics, Health Status, and Drug Use by Weekend-Only vs Not–Weekend-Only Drug Use
Variables Total (n = 483) Weekend-Only Use (n = 52) Not–Weekend-Only Use (n = 431) P Value Age in years, mean (SD) 41.6 (12.4) 44.5 (12.8) 41.3 (12.3) .07 Female, n (%) 151 (31.3%) 14 (26.9%) 137 (31.8%) .47 Race, n (%) White 95 (19.7%) 9 (17.3%) 86 (20.0%) .65 African American 316 (65.4%) 36 (69.2%) 280 (65.0%) .54 Hispanic 56 (11.6%) 5 (9.6%) 51 (11.8%) .64 Primary language English, n (%) 446 (92.3%) 48 (92.3%) 398 (92.3%) >.99 Continental United States born, n (%) 419 (86.7%) 42 (80.8%) 377 (87.5%) .18 High school graduation or more, n (%) 336 (69.6%) 33 (63.5%) 303 (70.3%) .31 1+ nights past 3 months on street or in shelter, n (%) 72 (14.9%) 10 (19.2%) 62 (14.4%) .35 Private health insurance, n (%) 65 (13.5%) 6 (11.5%) 59 (13.7%) .15 Total monthly income, n (%) ≤$250 104 (21.9%) 13 (26.0%) 91 (21.4%) .70 $251–$750 132 (27.8%) 12 (24.0%) 120 (28.2%) .70 $751–$1500 143 (30.1%) 13 (26.0%) 130 (30.6%) .70 >$1500 96 (20.2%) 12 (24.0%) 84 (19.8%) .70 Health status: EUROQOL7 (0 to 100), mean (SD) 70.0 (20.3) 71.5 (21.4) 69.8 (20.1) .58 Depressive symptoms (PHQ98 total score), mean (SD) 7.9 (6.6) 7.4 (6.7) 7.9 (6.6) .52 Anxiety symptoms (OASIS9 score), mean (SD) 5.5 (5.4) 5.5 (5.2 5.5 (5.5) .78 Employed full-time or part-time, n (%) 139 (28.8%) 13 (25.0%) 126 (29.2%) .76 Unemployed 340 (70.4%) 39 (75.0%) 301 (69.8%) .76 Reported illegal income, n (%) 44 (9.1%) 4 (7.7%) 40 (9.3%) >.99 Unhealthy alcohol use (AUDIT-C10 positive), n (%) 304 (62.9%) 33 (63.5%) 271 (62.9%) .93 Drug use consequences (SIP-D11 score, 0–15), mean (SD) 11.2 (11.1) 9.5 (12.6) 11.4 (13.2) .08 Drug use severity (Global ASSIST score), mean (SD) 21.3 (17.7) 19.3 (14.9) 21.5 (18.0 .31 Number of days used in past 30a 14 (4–28) 2 (2–4) 16 (6–29) <.001 Drug of most concern, n (%) Marijuana 316 (65.4%) 25 (48.1%) 291 (67.5%) <.001 Opioids 72 (14.9%) 7 (13.5%) 65 (15.1%) .76 Cocaine 88 (18.2%) 20 (38.5%) 68 (15.8%) <.001 Other 7 (1.4%) 0 (0.0%) 7 (1.6%) >. 99 -
↵a Expressed as median (IQR) with Wilcoxon signed rank test.
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- Table 3
Associations Between Weekend-Only and Not–Weekend–Only Drug Use and Any Increase in Severity, Days of Use of Drug of Most Concern, and Drug Use Consequences
Proportions With Outcome Odds Ratios, Weekend-Only vs Not–Weekend-Only Outcomes Weekend Only Use (n = 52) Not Weekend Only Use (n = 431) Unadjusted Odds Ratio, OR (95% CI) P Value Adjusted Odds Ratio, AOR (95% CI) P Value Increase in drug use severityb 44% 56% 0.62 (0.35–1.12) 0.11 0.56 (0.30–1.04) 0.07 Increase in number of days per month of use of drug of most concernc 37% 35% 1.09 (0.60–1.98) 0.78 0.48 (0.25–0.94) 0.03 Increase in drug use consequencesd 26% 29% 0.84 (0.43–1.63) 0.60 0.81 (0.41–1.59) 0.54
Additional Files
The Article in Brief
Recreational Drug Use Among Primary Care Patients: Implications of a Positive Self-Report
Judith Bernstein , and colleagues
Background This study set out to determine if recreational drug use raises clinical concerns.
What This Study Found Weekend-only drug use frequently progresses into daily use and warrants continued monitoring in primary care. Among 529 adult primary care patients who screened positive for drug use, 483 patients (11 percent) reported using drugs only on weekends while 431 (89 percent) reported using drugs at other times as well. Of those initially reporting weekend-only use, only 10 (19 percent) retained the weekend-only pattern six months later; 28 (54 percent) started using drugs on other days of the week and 14 (27 percent) reported abstinence.
Implications
- These findings, the authors conclude, support the importance of periodic monitoring of "recreational" drug use.
