Severity of dependence and route of administration of heroin, cocaine and amphetamines
- 1 November 1992
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Wiley in British Journal of Addiction
- Vol. 87 (11), 1527-1536
- https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1360-0443.1992.tb02660.x
Abstract
This study investigates severity of dependence upon heroin, cocaine and amphetamines in a group of 200 heroin users, 75% of whom were not in contact with any treatment agency. For drug takers who were current users of more than one drug, heroin produced more severe dependence than either cocaine or amphetamine and many users of these stimulant drugs reported having experienced no problems of dependence. Severity of dependence was influenced by route of administration as well as type of drug. Heroin taken by injection was associated with more severe dependence than smoked heroin. For cocaine, injection and smoking were associated with equivalent dependence ratings, and both of these routes were associated with more severe dependence than cocaine used intranasally. For amphetamine, there were no differences in severity of dependence ratings for injection, intranasal or oral use. Severity of dependence was correlated with dose and duration of drug use; it was also associated with previous attendance at a drug treatment agency, though dependence problems were also common among heroin users who had never received treatment. Implications of these findings are discussed.Keywords
This publication has 14 references indexed in Scilit:
- Cocaine and crack.BMJ, 1989
- The Opiate Dependence Syndrome: replication study using the SODQ in a New York clinicBritish Journal of Addiction, 1988
- The Drug Dependence Syndrome and Related DisabilitiesBritish Journal of Addiction, 1988
- Substance-Use Disorders in DSM-III-RThe British Journal of Psychiatry, 1987
- The Application of the SODQ to the Measurement of the Severity of Opiate Dependence in a British SampleBritish Journal of Addiction, 1987
- The Measurement of Opiate DependenceBritish Journal of Addiction, 1986
- Alcohol dependence syndrome: Measurement and validation.Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 1982
- CocaineScientific American, 1982
- Alcohol dependence syndrome: Measurement and validation.Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 1982
- Alcohol dependence and the priming effectBehaviour Research and Therapy, 1979