Progression to regular heroin use: examination of patterns, predictors, and consequences

Addictive Behaviors
Eric A WoodcockMark K Greenwald

Abstract

The present study retrospectively evaluated the chronology and predictors of substance use progression in current heroin-using individuals. Out-of-treatment heroin users (urinalysis-verified; N=562) were screened for laboratory-based research studies using questionnaires and urinalysis. Comprehensive substance use histories were collected. Between- and within-substance use progression was analyzed using stepwise linear regression models. The strongest predictor of onset of regular heroin use was age at initial heroin use, accounting for 71.8% of variance. The strongest between-substance predictors of regular heroin use were ages at regular alcohol and tobacco use, accounting for 8.1% of variance. Earlier onset of regular heroin use (≤20 years) vs. older onset (≥30 years) was associated with a more rapid progression from initial to regular use, longer duration of heroin use, more lifetime use-related negative consequences, and greater likelihood of injecting heroin. The majority of participants (79.7%) reported substance use progression consistent with the gateway hypothesis. Gateway-inconsistent individuals were more likely to be African-American and to report younger age at initial use, longer duration of heroin use, and more ...Continue Reading

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Citations

Jun 25, 2016·Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America·Bikash SharmaMarc Fishman
Mar 30, 2018·Substance Abuse : Official Publication of the Association for Medical Education and Research in Substance Abuse·Sharon LevyJonas Bromberg
Aug 29, 2018·Addiction Research & Theory·Holly H ReidMark K Greenwald
Aug 31, 2020·Addiction Research & Theory·Tabitha E H MosesMark K Greenwald
Jun 8, 2021·Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment·Sara J BeckerDale W Steele

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