Tobacco, alcohol and illegal substances: Experiences and attitudes among Italian university students

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this research was to assess the prevalence of addictive drug use among students of University of Camerino (Italy) and to verify aspects related to substance use in this population. Methods: The survey was carried out in the form of anonymous questionnaires completed by 345 participants. Chi-square test was used for statistic evaluation. Results: Most students have experienced legal addictive substances: 28.0 % of participants smoke cigarettes regularly and 23.2 % of respondents have admitted regular alcohol consumption. In addition, 50.4 % of subjects have already tried an illegal drug; the most used substance was cannabis (46.7 %), followed by cocaine (13.3 %). Conclusion: Our results confirmed the increased experimental use of cannabis among young people in Europe and showed a long-term use of drugs, particularly cocaine, among university students. ©2011 Elsevier Editora Ltda.