Unemployed Individuals Increase Street Drug Usage During COVID-19 Pandemic
Marijuana Most Employed Street Drug by Unemployed During COVID-19 Pandemic
The prevalence of street drug abusers was somewhat less that the number of symptomatic alcohol abusers and slightly less than prescription medication abusers”
CHESTERFIELD, MISSOURI, UNITED STATES, April 23, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Authentic Strategic Partners today announced results from the street drug portion of a substance and alcohol abuse study among unemployed individuals during COVID-19. Rampant unemployment in the United States brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic has had an enormous detrimental effect on the financial well-being of millions of Americans and their families.— Dr. Richard E. Hunter
Personal concerns about these financial disruptions and social isolation as a precaution against the pandemic have heighted stress particularly among vulnerable groups like the unemployed. High stress situations are known triggers for maladaptive coping behaviors like use/overuse of alcohol, prescriptions medications, and street drugs. This study of 600 unemployed individuals found substantial increases in all three categories of mood-altering substances. Using adapted addiction symptom measurement items from the most recent Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5), the researchers established comparative addiction risk profiles for each substance abuse category.
Approximately one-third (32.5%) of the total sample reported some form of street drug abuse, with marijuana being the most frequently mentioned drug of choice. Richard E. Hunter, Ph.D., the study’s primary author noted, “The prevalence of street drug abusers was somewhat less that the number of symptomatic alcohol abusers and slightly less than prescription medication abusers.”
Further, the results of the study offer preliminary insights into substance abuse patterns across two and even all three of the substance abuse categories.
Authentic Strategic Partners, LLC. is a public relations consultancy with offices in Chesterfield, Missouri and Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Its principals are Richard E. Hunter, Ph.D., and Richard A. Nida, Ph.D. www.authenticstrategicpartners.com.
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Richard A. Nida
Authentic Strategic Partners, LLC
+1 9105246340
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