What's the harm in starting early?: Daily and long-term risks of daytime drinking in young adults.

Background: There is a robust body of work demonstrating that certain drinking practices, such as pregaming or playing drinking games, are linked to heavier, riskier patterns of drinking among college students. However, less attention has been paid to other drinking practices that are relatively common among undergraduates, such as daytime drinking (i.e.

Age-related Changes in Past-Month Alcohol, Cannabis, and Simultaneous Use in a Statewide Sample of Young Adults in Washington State.

Objective: It is unknown whether age-related decreases in substance use (maturing out) are observed in the legalized cannabis context. This study evaluated age-related changes in past-month alcohol use frequency, cannabis use frequency, and any simultaneous alcohol and marijuana/cannabis (SAM) use among young adults who engaged in the respective substance use behavior.

Method: Young adults, residing in Washington State at enrollment (N=6,509; 68.

Simultaneous use of alcohol and cannabis and attenuated age-related declines in alcohol and cannabis use disorder symptoms across young adulthood.

Most young adults naturally mature out of high-risk substance use patterns, but it is important to identify factors that may impede normative declines. Use of alcohol and cannabis simultaneously (i.e.

Young Adult Alcohol and Cannabis Impaired Driving After the Opening of Cannabis Retail Stores in Washington State.

Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death for young adults (YA) in the USA, and driving under the influence of alcohol (DUIA), cannabis (DUIC), and simultaneous use of both substances (DUIAC) are prominent risk factors. Trends in YA impaired driving behaviors after opening of cannabis retail stores have been understudied. We examined YA trends in DUIA, DUIC, and DUIAC from immediately prior through 5 years following the opening of cannabis retail outlets in Washington State (2014-2019).

Short-term changes in social role statuses across young adulthood and their relation to heavy drinking in a given month.

Young adulthood is a developmental period during which individuals experience shifts in their social roles in various domains, which coincides with a period of time that is also high risk for lifetime peaks in alcohol use. The current study examined age-related changes in heavy episodic drinking (HED) and high-intensity drinking (HID) and associations with short-term (i.e.

An Expanded Daily Alcohol Expectancies Measure: Results on the Multilevel Factor Structure and Psychometric Properties.

Objective: Alcohol expectancies are beliefs people have about the likelihood of experiencing various positive or negative consequences related to alcohol use. Expectancies have most commonly been treated as traitlike characteristics of individuals, but some researchers have assessed expectancies as state-level characteristics that vary within persons across days. Previous work developed a 13-item daily alcohol expectancies measure.

Morning cannabis use in young adults: Associations with overall levels of use, negative consequences, and cannabis use disorder symptoms across 2.5 years.

Background: Emerging research suggests morning cannabis use may be associated with using more cannabis and experiencing more cannabis-related consequences. This paper examined whether months when young adults reported morning cannabis use (use between 6:00AM and 12:00PM) were associated with cannabis use frequency, negative cannabis-related consequences, and changes in cannabis use disorder (CUD) symptoms.

Methods: Participants were 778 young adults (M=21.

Daily-level simultaneous alcohol and marijuana use and its associations with alcohol use, marijuana use, and negative consequences in a young adult community sample.

Background: Simultaneous alcohol and marijuana (SAM) use has been associated with greater alcohol use and consequences at the daily level, but limited research has examined SAM use in relation to marijuana use and its consequences. This study tested daily associations between SAM use and four outcomes: alcohol use (number of drinks), marijuana use (hours high), negative alcohol consequences, and negative marijuana consequences.

Methods: A community sample of young adults [ages 18-25, mean (SD) = 21.

Predictors of morning cannabis use among young adults: Between- and within-person associations from 24 consecutive months of data.

Morning cannabis use is associated with heavier, frequent cannabis use and more cannabis-related negative consequences, yet little empirical research has examined its predictors. Using 24 months of longitudinal data, the present study tested demographic, psychosocial, and behavioral predictors of morning cannabis use among young adults at the monthly- and person-levels. Young adults (N = 778) were part of a larger study on substance use and social role transitions; participants completed a baseline survey and up to 24 consecutive monthly surveys.

Trajectories of financial distress during the COVID-19 pandemic and their associations with mental health and substance use outcomes in a cohort of young adults.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to unprecedented life disruptions among young adults, including increased job insecurity and financial strain. Mental health problems and substance use have also increased during the pandemic, with young adults particularly vulnerable to experiencing these challenges. This study examines trajectories of financial distress among young adults during the pandemic and their associations with depression, anxiety, and hazardous alcohol and cannabis use.

A Narrative Review of Literature Examining Studies Researching the Impact of Law on Health and Economic Outcomes.

Context: Public health policy can play an important role in improving public health outcomes. Accordingly, there has been an increasing emphasis by policy makers on identifying and implementing evidence-informed public health policy interventions.

Program Or Policy: Growth and refinement of the field of research assessing the impact of legal interventions on health outcomes, known as legal epidemiology, prompted this review of studies on the relationship between laws and health or economic outcomes.

A Longitudinal Analysis of Monthly Changes in Substance Use in Relation to Negative Consequences From Alcohol and Cannabis Use in a Community Sample of Young Adults.

Objective: Experiencing negative substance use consequences may deter future use, alter patterns of substance use (e.g., substituting one substance for another, combining substances), or point to a sustained pattern of engaging in heavy or frequent use.

"Wake-and-bake" cannabis use: Predictors and cannabis-related outcomes of use shortly after waking.

Background: Given recent historical increases in young adults frequent cannabis use and changes in cannabis policies throughout the United States, there is a need to examine high-risk patterns of use. This paper examined predictors and cannabis-related outcomes of "wake-and-bake" cannabis use, operationalized as use within 30min of waking.

Methods: Participants were 409 young adults (M=21.

Daily-level relationships between negative affect, negative emotion differentiation, and cannabis behaviors among a high-risk sample of young adults.

Prior research suggests that higher trait negative emotion differentiation (NED; one's ability to make subtle distinctions between different negative emotional states) is associated with consuming less alcohol when experiencing high negative affect (NA) in daily life. Yet, whether these findings extend to cannabis use behaviors is unclear. The present study used intensive daily data to test whether NED moderated the relationship between NA and cannabis behaviors.

Longitudinal examination of high-risk drinking contexts: Daytime drinking, pregaming, and drinking games linked to high-risk alcohol use and negative consequences in young adults.

Background: The contexts in which young adults drink alcohol play a salient role in alcohol-related outcomes and negative consequences at an event-level, but less is known about longitudinal risks. We collected longitudinal monthly data across 2 years on (a) daytime drinking, (b) pregaming/pre-partying, and (c) playing drinking games. We then examined associations between drinking in these contexts and within-person variability in alcohol consumption, consequences, and simultaneous alcohol and marijuana (SAM) use in a given month.

Exposure to media with alcohol-related content across young adulthood: Associations with risky drinking and consequences among high-risk 2- and 4-year college students.

Introduction: Exposure to media with alcohol-related content is a known risk for alcohol use and related harms among young people. The present study used longitudinal self-report data on exposure to media with alcohol-related content to examine age trajectories across young adulthood and to estimate associations with heavy episodic drinking (HED) and negative consequences.

Method: Participants were 201 high-risk young adults enrolled in 2- and 4-year colleges (ages 18-25 at screening; 63.

Young Adult Physical, Social, and Temporal Contexts of Simultaneous Alcohol and Marijuana Use.

Objective: Simultaneous alcohol and marijuana (SAM) use is reported to be associated with heavier alcohol and marijuana use and more negative consequences, but less is known about the social, physical, and temporal contexts of SAM use.

Method: Young adults ( = 326, 51.2% male, 49.

Trajectories of loneliness during COVID-19 pandemic and associations with mental health and substance use.

We examined patterns of longitudinal trajectories of loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic using six time points (January 2020 [pre-pandemic] to March/April 2021) and whether trajectories were associated with psychological distress (depression/anxiety) and substance use (alcohol/cannabis) outcomes in Spring 2021. Participants were 644 young adults who completed online assessments. Outcomes were regressed on most-likely loneliness trajectory adjusting for pre-pandemic measures.

Pregame Heavy Episodic Drinking and Its Association With Negative Consequences and Other Risky Substance Use Behaviors.

Objective: Pregaming, or drinking before going out, is common among college students and has been linked with greater alcohol use and experiencing more negative consequences. This study tested within- and between-person associations between pregame heavy episodic drinking (Pregame HED; 4+/5+ drinks for women/men while pregaming) and high-intensity drinking (8+/10+ drinks), negative consequences, and three risky behaviors.

Method: College students at a large, public university in the Northeast United States who participated in a longitudinal measurement-burst design study completed a longer survey and up to 14 daily surveys in up to four consecutive semesters ( days = 4,706; persons = 547).

Using substances to cope with social anxiety: Associations with use and consequences in daily life.

Objective: Using substances to cope with social anxiety is robustly related to negative consequences. The present study uses daily-level methods to test whether days young adults used substances to cope with social anxiety were associated with greater alcohol and cannabis use and consequences compared to use days without this motive.

Method: Participants were a community sample of young adults enrolled in a study on alcohol and cannabis use, which involved a baseline survey and five 2-week bursts of online daily surveys across 2 years.

Daily level predictors of impaired driving behaviors in young adults: Protocol design for utilizing daily assessments.

Background: Motor vehicle crashes remain a leading cause of death among young adults (ages 18-25) in the United States. Many drivers implicated in these crashes are under the influence of alcohol, cannabis, or the simultaneous use of alcohol and cannabis. Extremely limited research has assessed impaired driving behaviors and their predictors at the daily level.