Risky sexual activities and non-heterosexuality have been linked with higher rates of substance abuse, a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) survey released yesterday found.
The national survey, which polled approximately 17,800 people aged between 12 and 64, was the nation’s first that concentrated primarily on drug abuse.
It was jointly conducted by the FDA and researchers from National Taiwan University’s (NTU) College of Public Health, National Cheng Kung University, Kaohsiung Medical University, Chung Shan Medical University and Tzu Chi University.
“The poll showed that people with substance abuse problems are 9.7 times, 10.6 times and 12.7 times more likely to have multiple sexual partners, have participated in one-night stands and have engaged in multipartner sex than those without an addiction,” NTU College of Public Health dean Chen Wei-jen (陳為堅) told a news conference held by the agency in Taipei yesterday morning to publicize the results.
A high occurrence rate of drug abuse is also observed among homosexual and bisexual individuals, Chen said, adding that of all the respondents who identified themselves as non-heterosexual, 7.3 percent said that they had abused substances, while just 1.9 percent said they never had the problem.
However, a cause-and-effect relationship between the prevalence of substance abuse and the above behaviors and sexual orientations remains undetermined, Chen added.
People with drug addictions are more prone to depression than those addicted to other substances, Chen said.
“About 18.6 percent of respondents with drug problems received medium or high depression scores on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies depression scale, compared with 12.2 percent among e-cigarette users, 8.4 percent among traditional cigarette smokers, 8.4 percent among betel nut chewers and 7.7 percent among alcoholics,” he said.
The results indicate a dire need for the government and schools to establish better mechanisms through which troubled individuals can seek help, Chen said.
The survey showed a slight decrease in the percentage of people who have suffered from drug problems, from 1.43 percent in 2009 to 1.29 percent, which can be translated to about 230,000 people, FDA Division of Controlled Drugs Director Tsay Wen-ing (蔡文瑛) said.
“The three most-used illicit drugs in the country last year were amphetamine, ketamine and marijuana,” Tsay said. “The majority, or 66.7 percent, of those polled said their first experience with illegal drug use was prompted by curiosity, followed by 14.2 percent who cited the relaxation of pressure as the reason.”
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