Generational Differences in the Association Between Alcohol Abuse and the Use of Various Hard Drugs

Live Poster Session: Zoom Link

Stevie O'Connor
Stevie O’Connor

Stevie is a current junior (class of 2022) at Wesleyan University from Plymouth, MA (America’s hometown). He is a Neuroscience and Behavior major and a Chemistry minor. Outside of classes, Stevie is a member of the men’s ice hockey team at Wesleyan. He is also a vice-president of SAAC, the student-athlete advisory committee, and a co-president of Wesleyan’s chapter of Hope Happens Here, a student-athlete focused mental health organization. After graduation, Stevie plans to attend medical school.

Abstract:

Alcohol is the second most commonly abused substance in the United States behind tobacco and is believed to have a direct link to the use of other illicit substances. In addition, the rate of drug overdoses in the United States continues to rise, with the latest 12-month period (June 2019-May 2020) revealing the most drug overdoses ever recorded. Of the drugs causing overdoses, most fit the description of hard drugs, which are drugs intrinsically more hazardous to one’s health. With the above information in mind, an analysis was completed (using data from the 2002 NESARC survey) with the goal of finding a link between alcohol abuse and hard drug use, in the hopes of identifying a group of people to target in an effort to lower the rate of drug overdoses in the United States.

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