Research & Resources

Simultaneous High-intensity Drinking and Marijuana Use Contributes to Blackouts

This study evaluated whether the association between simultaneous alcohol and marijuana (SAM) use and blackouts was moderated by high-intensity drinking (HID). Participants were 1,224 college students who reported on their past year experiences of blackout, marijuana use, SAM use, and HID (i.e., drinking at least twice the binge threshold). SAM users had more past-year blackouts than non-SAM users, but this effect was only significant among SAM users who had engaged in HID in the past year. Effects of SAM user status on the experience of alcohol-related blackouts may be limited to individuals who engage in HID.

This paper, “Past year high-intensity drinking moderates the association between simultaneous alcohol and marijuana use and blackout frequency among college students,” was funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and published in the Journal of American College Health.  
https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2021.1880415

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