Patterns of same-day alcohol and cannabis use in adolescents and young adults with risky alcohol use.

Coughlin LN, Bonar EE, Bohnert ASB, Blow FC, Bauermeister JA, Cross Y, Cunningham R, Young SD, Walton MA. Patterns of same-day alcohol and cannabis use in adolescents and young adults with risky alcohol use. Addiction research & theory. 2021 Jun 24; 30(2):89-95.

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Abstract:

Same-day alcohol and cannabis use is relatively common in adolescents and young adults, constituting a higher-risk behavior relative to single-substance use. However, the association between quantity of alcohol and cannabis use on co-use days is understudied. We examined the association between the quantity of alcohol and same-day cannabis use with a multilevel regression analysis in a sample of youth (16-24 years old) with risky alcohol use. Participants reported one or more days of alcohol and cannabis over the past month ( = 468). Quantity of cannabis use was highest on heavy drinking days [ = 0.91 grams, = 0.68] followed by moderate drinking days ( = 0.78 grams = 0.63), and lowest on days without alcohol use ( = 0.74 grams, = 0.64, < 0.001). In multilevel modeling analyses, adjusted for clustering within individuals, greater quantity of drinking on a given day was associated with greater cannabis use (estimate = 0.03, < 0.001). When using alcohol and cannabis on the same day, greater alcohol use was associated with greater cannabis use. Preventing days of heavy use of multiple substances, particularly among at-risk drinkers, may complement interventions addressing co-use generally to prevent substance-related consequences.