Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 9, 2025

Brain Morphology of Cannabis Users With or Without Psychosis: A Pilot MRI Study
Published on: August 18, 2020
Hazardous Drinking and Cannabis Use in Military Veterans: Comparative Associations with Risk for Suicidal and
Jeremy L Grove1, Jean C Beckham1,2,3, Patrick S Calhoun1,2,3,4
1Duke University School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.
Objective:
Alcohol and cannabis use are each associated with suicidal thoughts and behaviors and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) in military veterans, but less is known with regard to concurrent use. The present study compared U.S. veterans (N = 1098; 78% male, 67% White) who in the past year engaged in hazardous drinking (HD only), cannabis use (CU only), or concurrent use (HD + CU), or used neither substance (comparison group), on past-year suicidal ideation, elevated risk for suicidal behavior, and past-year NSSI.
Method:
Veterans completed questionnaires on sociodemographics, psychiatric and substance use history, and self-directed violence via a mailed self-report survey.
Results:
Independent of covariates, HD + CU related to greater odds of past-year suicidal ideation relative to the CU only and comparison group, and greater odds of elevated risk for suicidal behavior relative to all groups. The HD only group related to greater odds of past-year suicidal ideation relative to the comparison group. Contrary to expectations, CU only did not relate to greater odds of any suicide-related outcomes. As for NSSI, both CU only and HD + CU related to greater odds of past-year NSSI relative to the HD only and comparison group.
Conclusions:
Concurrent use may increase odds of suicide-related outcomes in veterans relative to single use alone, whereas cannabis use may confer risk for NSSI regardless of if used concurrently with alcohol. These differential associations may suggest distinct mechanisms of risk for self-directed violence in veterans based on substance type (e.g., alcohol vs. cannabis) and use practice (single vs. concurrent use).
More Related Videos
05:12Chronic Intermittent Ethanol Vapor Exposure Paired with Two-Bottle Choice to Model Alcohol Use Disorder
Published on: June 23, 2023
08:05A Prediction Error-driven Retrieval Procedure for Destabilizing and Rewriting Maladaptive Reward Memories in Hazardous Drinkers
Published on: January 5, 2018
Related Concept Videos
Stress Prevention and Stress Management Techniques IV
CNS Depressants: Alcohol and Nicotine
Stress and Mental Health
Individuals with depression often experience challenges in both their personal and professional...
Self-Presentation: Self-Monitoring and Self-Handicapping
Substance Use Disorders Affecting Sleep
Understanding the concepts of physical dependence,...
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
Symptoms and Behavioral Manifestations
A spectrum of distressing symptoms characterizes PTSD. Recurrent flashbacks, where individuals involuntarily relive traumatic events,...