Access to the Internet among drinkers, smokers and illicit drug users: Is it a barrier to the provision of interventions on the World Wide Web?

Abstract

Background. Expanding Internet-based interventions for substance use will have little benefit if heavy substance users are unlikely to have Internet access. This paper explored whether access to the Internet was a potential barrier to the provision of services for smokers, drinkers and illicit drug users.

Methods. As part of a general population telephone survey of adults in Ontario, Canada, respondents were asked about their use of different drugs and also about their use of the Internet.

Results. Pack-a-day smokers were less likely (48%) to have home Internet access than non-smokers (69%), and current drinkers (73%) were more likely to have home access than abstainers (50%). These relationships remained true even after controlling for demographic characteristics. Internet access was less clearly associated with cannabis or cocaine use.

Conclusions. Even though there is variation in access among smokers, drinkers and illicit drug users, the World Wide Web remains an excellent opportunity to potentially provide services for substance abusers who might never access treatment in person because, in absolute terms, the majority of substance abusers do use the Internet.

Keywords:

• Internet access
• Internet availability
• alcohol
• cigarettes
• drug use
• brief interventions
• self-help

Notes

¹Effective response rate equals total number of completed interviews divided by the total number of eligible households.

²Patterns of results were similar for respondents in the 2002 and 2004 surveys. Therefore, we combined the two samples to allow for a larger sample of illicit drug users. Year of survey was employed as one of the predictors in the logistic regression predicting access to the Internet described in the Results section.

³Analyses were also conducted using all respondents with any Internet access and, beyond slightly higher proportions, the pattern of results remained similar. The other rationale for using home access as the primary variable of interest was the assumption that Internet access at home might provide more privacy than access from work or other public locations.