The co-use of alcohol and cannabis is an increasingly common substance use pattern among college students today, leading to heightened risks associated with substance use. However, limited research exists on whether co-use leads to increased pleasure, which could act as a reinforcing factor for continued use despite negative consequences. Understanding the pleasure associated with co-use could inform prevention and intervention strategies targeting substance misuse among young adults. The study aims to investigate the relationship between the co-use of alcohol and cannabis and self-reported pleasure in college students’ daily lives.
The study involved 237 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 who were recruited from a large university in the northeastern region of the United States. All participants reported at least one instance of co-use during the 21-day diary study. Data were collected through daily surveys in which participants reported their substance use and levels of pleasure each day, resulting in 2,086 total entries. Multilevel models were employed to analyze the data and examine the relationship between co-use and substance-related pleasure, controlling for various person-level and day-level covariates.
According to the study, participants reported distinct differences in their experiences of pleasure on days when they co-used alcohol and cannabis compared to days when they used only one substance. Compared to alcohol-only days, the likelihood of experiencing substance-related pleasure was more than twice as high on days when both alcohol and cannabis were co-used; however, there was no significant difference in the intensity of pleasure. In contrast, compared to cannabis-only days, both the likelihood and intensity of pleasure were significantly higher on co-use days. The findings suggest that these pleasurable experiences may act as a reinforcing factor for continued co-use, highlighting the possibility that pleasure serves as a key driver in sustaining use despite the occurrence of negative consequences.
Takeaway: Co-using alcohol and cannabis increases the likelihood of experiencing pleasure, which may in turn reinforce continued co-use.