Polysubstance Use (original) (raw)

The SAGE Handbook of Drug & Alcohol Studies

Abstract

DEFINITION, PREVALENCE AND TRENDSPolysubstance use is the consumption of more than one drug at the same or different times, typically for recreational purposes and pleasurable effects. It has been described as a phenomenon of the modern world, in which an ever increasing selection of chemical substances is available for consumption. There is a danger that the widespread use of the term polysubstance use conceals what for some people are highly functional combinations of drugs, what for some are highly risky combinations and in others seems so indiscriminate as to defy pharmacological understanding. It is the premise of this chapter that polysubstance use is a highly important topic and one that requires scientific illumination rather than being merely employed as a ‘catch-all’ term. In contrast to its widespread occurrence and impacts on health and well-being, there is a paucity of studies on the subject from a pharmacological and functional perspective, and limited epidemiological data. This chapter seeks not only to summarize what we know about polysubstance use but equally to identify what needs to be learnt

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