Patterns of Simultaneous Polysubstance Use in Canadian Rave Attendees

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine rave-related polydrug drug use and to determine if patterns of substance use were associated with previous rave attendance. One hundred and eighty-six rave attendees (50% female) representing a wide range of ages (16 to 47 years; mean = 23.5, sd = 5.15) and levels of rave attendance experience (1 to 400 events) completed structured interviews in Montreal, Canada between November 2002 and September 2003 about their rave attendance patterns and their use of various licit and illicit substances at the most recently attended event. On average, participants reported using 2.5 different psychoactive substances (excluding tobacco) at the most recent event attended. Cannabis, alcohol, MDMA (ecstasy), amphetamine, cocaine, ketamine, and GHB were the most frequently reported substances, and details about their orders of administration, dosages, and patterns of co-administration are presented and discussed. The total lifetime number of raves attended by participants varied considerably (mean = 48.6; sd = 69.7; median = 25), and there was a positive correlation between the number events attended and number of substances used at the most recent event attended (p < 0.001). Analyses revealed that individuals reporting the use of ketamine, GHB, and/or cocaine at the most recent event had attended significantly more events than nonusers even when controlling for various demographic variables. A subset of respondents (n = 27) completed a second interview to determine the reliability of their responses. Results indicated that respondents could reliably recall details about which drugs were used, the total doses administered, as well as order of drug administration.

Keywords:

• polysubstance use
• rave
• MDMA
• amphetamine
• GHB
• ketamine
• cocaine
• substance use patterns
• substance use trends

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sean P. Barrett

Sean P. Barrett, Ph.D. (c), has a long-held interest in understanding different aspects of drug and alcohol addiction in humans. As a high school student he was the recipient of the ATTAC drug awareness award, and his interest in drugs and addictive processes has continued throughout his undergraduate and graduate training. As a graduate student at McGill, he has contributed to the completion of over 15 studies examining different aspects of human drug addiction, using a variety of research methods including neuroimaging techniques, neurotransmitter depletion, and structured clinical interviews. He is currently working as a clinical psychology intern at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal and has accepted a position as an Assistant Professor in Adult Psychopathology at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada to begin in September 2005.

Samantha R. Gross

Samantha R. Gross, M.Sc., is a Doctoral Student and Senior Research Worker in the Addictions based at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London. Ms. Gross has a B.A. in psychology from McGill University, Quebec, where she examined trends in recreational drug use in the Canadian rave scene, as well as methods of assuring quality in mental health treatment. Her thesis research examines the organization of treatment, regulatory systems, and clinical outcomes for impaired healthcare professionals. Ms. Gross follows a systems approach in her work, and is currently interested in the evaluation and implementation of drug policy. In the U.K., she has co-authored documents published by the Department of Health and the Home Office, and has also worked on drug policy projects with academic and law enforcement organizations.

Isabelle Garand

Isabelle Garand obtained her B.A. in psychology from McGill University in 2003. She is currently working as a research assistant at Montreal's Royal Victoria Hospital, and intends to pursue graduate studies in Clinical Psychology starting next year.

Robert O. Pihl

Robert O. Pihl, Ph.D., is a professor in the Departments in Psychology and Psychiatry at McGill University. Prof. Pihl's research coalesces around the perspective that differential susceptibility/etiology for a mental disorder is a function of variability in different motivational systems. Work is ongoing in four areas, a developmental study of a birth cohort of twins, investigations of populations at risk for“drug abuse,” the assessment of drug effects, and clinical interventions with drug user using populations.