Drug Use and Personality Profiles

Abstract

Drug use disorder is characterised by several terms: addiction, dependence, and abuse. We discuss the notion of psychoactive substance and relations between the existing definitions. The personality traits which may be important for predisposition to use of drugs are introduced: the Five-Factor Model, impulsivity, and sensation-seeking. A number of studies have illustrated that personality traits are associated with drug consumption. The previous pertinent results are reviewed. A database with information on 1,885 respondents and their usage of 18 drugs is introduced. The results of our study are briefly outlined: the personality traits (Five-Factor Model, impulsivity, and sensation-seeking) together with simple demographic data make possible the prediction of the risk of consumption of individual drugs; personality profiles for users of different drugs. In particular, groups of heroin and ecstasy users are significantly different; there exist three correlation pleiades of drugs. These are clusters of drugs with correlated consumption, centred around heroin, ecstasy, and benzodiazepines.