Combination use of alcohol and Schedule I or II drugs pose numerous threats to the health of the public. Although much is known about the health effects of Schedule I or II drug use combined with alcohol, there are a very limited number of studies which actually quantify the number of co-users of these substances and whether or not there is an association between those who used Schedule I or II drugs and excessive alcohol consumption. This study aimed to evaluate whether or not the use of Schedule I or II drugs is associated with the prevalence of individuals consuming 8 or more alcoholic beverages in a single day using a representative sample of the population from 2017-2018 NHANES data. In the context of this study, Schedule I drugs were defined as marijuana and heroin, and Schedule II drugs were defined as cocaine and methamphetamine. The independent variable was the use of Schedule I or II drugs, and the dependent variable was excessive alcohol consumption. A full statistical analysis was performed to evaluate the overall relationship between these two variables. Through the use of a series of chi-squared tests and a binary logistic regression, it was determined that there is a statistically significant relationship between Schedule I or II drug use and excessive alcohol consumption. Additionally, it was determined there is a significant relationship between the combination use of substances among men compared to women, a finding which was supported by a 2006 study which examined drug and alcohol behaviors among the populations of towns on the U.S./Mexico border. The implications of this finding are meaningful as they can be used to inform the allocation of resources relevant to this issue.
Author(s): Lauryn Cook, Biochemistry and Public Health Major
Claire Sanford, Public Health Major
Advisor(s): Saruna Ghimire, Department of Sociology and Gerontology
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