Changes in recreational drug use, reasons for those changes and their consequence during and after the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK
Changes in recreational drug use, reasons for those changes and their consequence during and after the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK
Changes in drug use in the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic and their long-term consequences are not well understood. We employed natural language processing and machine learning to analyse a large dataset of self-reported rates of and reasons for drug use during the pandemic, along with their associations with anxiety, depression and substance use problems post-pandemic. Our findings revealed a transient decrease in drug use at the pandemic's peak, primarily attributed to reduced social opportunities. Conversely, some participants reported increased drug use for self-medication, boredom, and lifestyle disruptions. While users of psychedelics and MDMA had anxiety and depression rates similar to non-users, users of opioid agonists and depressants—representing one in ten active drug users—reported greater mental health challenges post-pandemic. These results suggest that a subset of active drug users with distinct profiles faces elevated risks, particularly for anxiety and depression, and may benefit from targeted support.
Benzodiazepines, COVID-19, Large scale survey, Longitudinal research, MDMA, Mental health, Natural language processing, Opioids, Psychedelics, Recreational drug use
Bălăeţ, Maria
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Zadel, Ana
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Lingford-Hughes, Anne
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Paterson, Louise M.
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Chamberlain, Samuel R.
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Trender, William
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Hellyer, Peter J.
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Hampshire, Adam
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1 July 2025
Bălăeţ, Maria
93e74c3a-9dad-46b9-8fe0-080c6ed396bc
Zadel, Ana
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Lingford-Hughes, Anne
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Paterson, Louise M.
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Chamberlain, Samuel R.
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Trender, William
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Hellyer, Peter J.
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Hampshire, Adam
892aff92-db76-471b-9c14-13de45631f7a
Bălăeţ, Maria, Zadel, Ana, Lingford-Hughes, Anne, Paterson, Louise M., Chamberlain, Samuel R., Trender, William, Hellyer, Peter J. and Hampshire, Adam
(2025)
Changes in recreational drug use, reasons for those changes and their consequence during and after the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK.
Comprehensive Psychiatry, 140, [152598].
(doi:10.1016/j.comppsych.2025.152598).
Abstract
Changes in drug use in the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic and their long-term consequences are not well understood. We employed natural language processing and machine learning to analyse a large dataset of self-reported rates of and reasons for drug use during the pandemic, along with their associations with anxiety, depression and substance use problems post-pandemic. Our findings revealed a transient decrease in drug use at the pandemic's peak, primarily attributed to reduced social opportunities. Conversely, some participants reported increased drug use for self-medication, boredom, and lifestyle disruptions. While users of psychedelics and MDMA had anxiety and depression rates similar to non-users, users of opioid agonists and depressants—representing one in ten active drug users—reported greater mental health challenges post-pandemic. These results suggest that a subset of active drug users with distinct profiles faces elevated risks, particularly for anxiety and depression, and may benefit from targeted support.
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e-pub ahead of print date: 15 April 2025
Published date: 1 July 2025
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Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 The Authors
Keywords:
Benzodiazepines, COVID-19, Large scale survey, Longitudinal research, MDMA, Mental health, Natural language processing, Opioids, Psychedelics, Recreational drug use
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 503423
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/503423
ISSN: 0010-440X
PURE UUID: 8ed2ea18-c085-4ccc-acc6-189470fd0991
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Date deposited: 31 Jul 2025 16:45
Last modified: 22 Aug 2025 02:29
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Contributors
Author:
Maria Bălăeţ
Author:
Ana Zadel
Author:
Anne Lingford-Hughes
Author:
Louise M. Paterson
Author:
Samuel R. Chamberlain
Author:
William Trender
Author:
Peter J. Hellyer
Author:
Adam Hampshire
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