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Updated: Jan 16, 2026

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Recreational substance use is linked with difficulty in recalling personal experiences.

Adnan Levent1, Eddy J Davelaar2

  • 1Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham Hill, Egham, TW20 0EX, UK. adnan.levent@rhul.ac.uk.

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|October 3, 2025
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Summary

Recreational substance use, including cannabis, MDMA, and cocaine, impairs autobiographical memory (AM). Individuals using substances recalled fewer specific personal events and were slower to respond compared to non-users.

Keywords:
Autobiographical memoryCannabis useCocaine useCognitionEcstasy useEpisodic memoryNeuropsychopharmacologyRecreational substance use

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Psychology

Background:

  • Recreational substance use may impact neurotransmitter networks crucial for memory.
  • Existing research on substance use and autobiographical memory (AM) is limited, often focusing on cannabis or dependence.
  • Previous studies overlooked specific characteristics of recalled memories, focusing on broad AM features.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effects of recreational substance use on specific aspects of autobiographical memory (AM).
  • To identify which specific features of AM are most vulnerable to recreational substance use.

Main Methods:

  • 100 participants (47 non-users, 53 users) aged 18-55 completed questionnaires and a lab-based AM test.
  • Self-report measures assessed substance use, general health, sleep, and alcohol consumption.
  • Autobiographical memory recall was assessed for specificity and response latency.

Main Results:

  • Recreational substance users recalled significantly fewer specific personal event memories than non-users.
  • Substance users were more prone to omitting responses within the allotted time.
  • Findings remained significant after controlling for covariates like age and general health.

Conclusions:

  • Occasional recreational substance use may impair the retrieval of specific autobiographical memories.
  • This study highlights the vulnerability of specific AM aspects to recreational drug use.
  • Further research is needed to understand the neurobiological mechanisms underlying these impairments.