Study: lone smokers more likely to fall into psychosis and addiction

A study published in the Drug and Alcohol Review looked at the consumption context of different cannabis users: do they tend to consume socially or alone, and why? The aim was to identify possible risky consumption patterns and the contexts in which dependence is more likely to develop. Answering these questions then enables us to better calibrate prevention and harm reduction policies.

The course of the study

The researchers studied 188 interviews with adult cannabis users (aged 18-59), of whom 44% were women, who were recruited and interviewed in the Halifax region of Canada. They were asked about the context, frequency and motivations for their use, as well as the presence of any psychiatric symptoms. They were also asked to describe their last occasion of use.

The researchers found that those who described their last occasion of use as being in a social setting were significantly less likely to experience episodes of psychosis and to be in a pattern of dependence. Lone users (55 in the test) were more likely to use cannabis for a specific need, such as managing stress and anxiety. This type of consumption is therefore more instrumental than festive, and more prone to abuse.

“It's possible that they lack other strategies to overcome their problems.» explains Toni Spinella, a master's student in psychology and neuroscience and co-author of the study. «If you're alone, why do you drink? It's a question you have to ask yourself, and if you realize «OK, I'm drinking alone because I'm sad tonight or stressed out», well maybe that's a sign that you need to think more carefully about your consumption».

Is solitary consumption a symptom?

Because they tend to use drugs instrumentally, solo users consume more: an average of 25 times a month according to those interviewed, i.e. almost every day. Social users, on the other hand, consume on average 12 times a month. Lone users are therefore more likely to develop a habit of consumption that can turn into dependence or even a "drug addiction". addiction. On the other hand, social users are three times more likely to have mixed alcohol and cannabis during their last consumption.

No causal link has yet been found between cannabis use and psychosis. However, we do know that there is a form of association between the two: patients predisposed to psychosis are also predisposed to the use of substances including cannabis. By the same token, psychosis and addiction are not created by solitary consumption, but by the individual's psychic situation, which can lead to solitary, regular or even abusive consumption.

There are no direct conclusions to be drawn from this study, other than that solitary consumption may be a warning sign of an individual in psychological difficulty, and is more likely to characterize problematic consumption for the user, a form of dependence.