Why do People Stop Their Drug Use? Results from a General Population Sample

Abstract

This paper describes results from a pilot study that assessed the reasons for change provided by former drug users in a representative sample of the general population. As part of a random digit dialing telephone survey, people were asked about their past use of cannabis, cocaine/crack, tobacco and alcohol. In a series of open-ended questions, participants who had stopped their consumption of the drug (or reduced it to moderate levels for alcohol) were asked what had led them to stop (or reduce) their consumption. Reasons for change among this representative sample are presented along with comparisons across different drugs.