Cannabis-alcohol co-use protects from drinking regret without increasing harms
department or school: Arts and Social Sciences, Irving K. Barber Faculty of (Okanagan)
department or school: Psychology, Department of (Okanagan)
data provider: DSpace
degree campus: UBCO
creator: Rootman, Joseph Marc
issued: 2024-08-01T20:47:47Z
issued: 2024
related degree: Doctor of Philosophy - PhD
degree grantor: University of British Columbia
description: Heavy episodic drinking, defined as three drinks consumed on a single occasion in females and four drinks in males, is a prevalent and dangerous behaviour. It is becoming increasingly common for cannabis to be co-used with alcohol such that the psychoactive effects of the two substances overlap. Research has indicated that the association between cannabis-alcohol co-use and short-term harms may be complicated by third variable factors such as number of drinks, but further research is needed to understand these complexities. Additionally, little is known about how co-use relates to other short-term outcomes beyond harms such as injury or embarrassment. The present study sought to explore the mechanisms by which co-use relates to harm through indirect pathways of number of drinks and psychoactive effects. Furthermore, co-use was investigated in relation to next-day regret and achievement of intended outcomes of cannabis and alcohol use. Ecological momentary assessment methodology was used to collect observations longitudinally among young adults in Canada. At the end of a drinking event, participants completed a validated measure to assess alcohol related stimulation and sedation psychoactive effects. The following morning, participants reported on harms, co-use with cannabis, drinks, regret, and intention fulfilment. Co-use was found to be moderated by number of drinks such that co-use was increasingly protective of harms as additional drinks were consumed. Moreover, co-use was associated with significantly less regret relative to when alcohol was consumed without cannabis. Finally, among participants that reported motivation to engage in cannabis- or alcohol-use for the purposes of enhancement, coping, and socializing, co-use was found to better achieve these outcomes compared to alcohol-use alone. Together, these findings indicate that co-use is no more harmful than alcohol-use alone, and at extreme levels of drinking is associated with protective outcomes. Contemp…
aggregated CHO: https://circle.library.ubc.ca/rest/handle/2429/88840
note: CANNABIS-ALCOHOL CO-USE PROTECTS FROM DRINKING REGRET WITHOUT INCREASING HARMS by Joseph Marc Rootman BA (hons)., University of British Columbia, 2017 M.A., University of British Columbia, 2020 A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in THE COLLEGE OF GRADUATE STUDIES (Psychology) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Okanagan) July 2024 © Joseph Marc Rootman, 2024 ii The following individuals certify that they have read, and recommend to the College of Graduate Studies for acceptance, a dissertation entitled: CANNABIS-ALCOHOL CO-USE PROTECTS FROM DRINKING REGRET WITHOUT INCREASING HARMS ______________________________________________________________________________ submitted by Joseph Marc Rootman in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Dr. Zach Walsh, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Supervisor Dr. Susan Holtzman, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Supervisory Committee Member Dr. Michael-John Milloy, The University of British Columbia (Vancouver) Supervisory Committee Member Dr. Rachelle Hole, Faculty of Health and Social Development University Examiner Dr. Bernie Pauly, University of Victoria External Examiner iiiAbstract Heavy episodic drinking, defined as three drinks consumed on a single occasion in females and four drinks in males, is a prevalent and dangerous behaviour. It is becoming increasingly common for cannabis to be co-used with alcohol such that the psychoactive effects of the two substances overlap. Research has indicated that the association between cannabis-alcohol co-use and short-term harms may be complicated by third variable factors such as number of drinks, but further research is needed to understand these complexities. Additionally, little is known about how co-use relates to other short-term outcomes beyond harms such as injury or embarrassment. The present study sought to explore the mechanisms b…
has type: Thesis/Dissertation
date issued: 2024-09
is shown at: 10.14288/1.0444950
language: eng
degree discipline: Psychology
provider: Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
publisher: University of British Columbia
rights: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
rights URI: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
scholar level: Graduate
contributor: Walsh, Zach
type: Text
identifier URI: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/88840