ArticleSubstance abuse treatment, prevention, and policy2021
Use of alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, and other substances during the first wave of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in Europe: a survey on 36,000 European substance users.
Article in Substance abuse treatment, prevention, and policy, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 57 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
57 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 102 citations in OpenAlex.
- [Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cannabis use in young adults and general population: a systematic review].Revista espanola de salud publica · 2023Pooled it
- Impact of COVID-19 lockdown on smoking and vaping: systematic review and meta-analysis.Public health · 2023Pooled it
- Changes in alcohol use during COVID-19 and associations with contextual and individual difference variables: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Psychology of addictive behaviors : journal of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors · 2022Pooled it
- The early impact of COVID-19 on the incidence, prevalence, and severity of alcohol use and other drugs: A systematic review.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2021Pooled it
- Within-person change in alcohol consumption and associated factors during a public health crisis.BMC public health · 2026Article
- COVID-19 pandemic-related stress and substance use behaviors among people with HIV - a mixed method analysis.PloS one · 2026Article
- Socio-economic factors associated with alcohol and cannabis use across waves of the COVID-19 pandemic: an intersectional analysis of a repeated cross-sectional survey.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Ethanol-Withanolides Interactions: Compound-Specific Effects on Zebrafish Larvae Locomotor Behavior and GABAA Receptor Subunit Expression.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Article
- Alcohol use and COVID-19: three-year impact for the Czech Republic.Central European journal of public health · 2025Article
- Effects of COVID-19 Lockdowns on Alcohol Consumption, Hangovers and Smoking Among Young Adults (n = 140) in Germany: An On-Line Study.Human psychopharmacology · 2025Article
- Using prospective mixed methods to investigate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on cannabis demand.Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior · 2025Article
- Demographic and other correlates of non-prescription drug use among college students during the COVID-19 pandemic.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Frequency and patterns of substance-induced psychosis in persons with concurrent mental health and substance use disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic: A Norwegian register-based cohort study.European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists · 2024Article
- Impact of the pandemic on leisure physical activity and alcohol consumption.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Factors related to increased alcohol misuse by students compared to non-students during the first Covid-19 lockdown in France: the Confins study.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Influence of the home smoking environment and stress on smoking behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic among patients of federally qualified health centers in rural Georgia.Tobacco prevention & cessation · 2024Article
- Changes in Alcohol-Specific Mortality During the COVID-19 Pandemic in 14 European Countries.Sucht · 2023Article
- Changes in self-reported cannabis use during the COVID-19 pandemic: a scoping review.BMC public health · 2023Article
- The COVID-19 pandemic and cannabis use in Canada-a scoping review.Journal of cannabis research · 2023Article
- Long-Term Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Drug/Alcohol Use Prevalence in a Population with Substance Use Disorders.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
14 authors at 8 institutions in 9 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSARS-CoV-2 reached Europe in early 2020 and disrupted the private and public life of its citizens, with potential implications for substance use. The objective of this study was to describe possible changes in substance use in the first months of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in Europe.
methodsData were obtained from a cross-sectional online survey of 36,538 adult substance users from 21 European countries conducted between April 24 and July 22 of 2020. Self-perceived changes in substance use were measured by asking respondents whether their use had decreased (slightly or substantially), increased (slightly or substantially), or not changed during the past month. The survey covered alcohol (frequency, quantity, and heavy episodic drinking occasions), tobacco, cannabis, and other illicit drug use. Sample weighted data were descriptively analysed and compared across substances.
resultsAcross all countries, use of all substances remained unchanged for around half of the respondents, while the remainder reported either a decrease or increase in their substance use. For alcohol use, overall, a larger proportion of respondents indicated a decrease than those reporting an increase. In contrast, more respondents reported increases in their tobacco and cannabis use during the previous month compared to those reporting decreased use. No distinct direction of change was reported for other substance use.
conclusionsOur findings suggest changes in use of alcohol, tobacco and cannabis during the initial months of the pandemic in several European countries. This study offers initial insights into changes in substance use. Other data sources, such as sales statistics, should be used to corroborate these preliminary findings.
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