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Using Young Adult Language to Describe the Effects of Simultaneous Alcohol and Marijuana Use: Implications for
Alyssa L Abrams1, Racheal Reavy2, Ashley N Linden-Carmichael2
1Department of Educational Psychology, Counseling, and Special Education, College of Education, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
Substance Use & Misuse
|September 9, 2022
Summary
Young adults use a wide range of words to describe simultaneous alcohol and marijuana (SAM) use. Subjective experiences and the language used to describe them change based on the levels of alcohol and marijuana consumed.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Public Health
Background:
- Simultaneous alcohol and marijuana (SAM) use is prevalent in young adulthood.
- SAM use is associated with numerous negative health and behavioral consequences.
- Understanding subjective experiences of SAM use is crucial for intervention and prevention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore how young adults describe their subjective experiences during SAM use.
- To investigate how descriptive language for subjective effects changes with varying levels of alcohol and marijuana consumption.
Main Methods:
- Recruited 323 young adults reporting past-month heavy episodic drinking and SAM use via Amazon's Mechanical Turk.
- Participants described subjective feelings associated with alcohol-only, marijuana-only, and combined substance use.
- Analyzed descriptive language variations based on substance combinations and levels of use.
Main Results:
- Descriptive language for SAM use varied significantly with age and substance use patterns, but not sex or race.
- Distinct linguistic patterns emerged when comparing different combinations of alcohol and marijuana use.
- The term "cross-faded" was predominantly used to describe the most intense combined alcohol and marijuana use.
Conclusions:
- Young adults possess a diverse vocabulary to articulate the subjective effects of SAM use.
- Subjective experiences and their linguistic representations are contingent upon the dosage of each substance.
- Future research should incorporate contemporary language to accurately measure SAM use's subjective effects.
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