Let’s get real: people take drugs, especially young people. But when it comes to recreational drug use, a new study suggests that if you stop by 30, your life outcomes aren’t dramatically affected.
People who ditch drugs before 30 did not have lower economic and relationship success or life quality when compared to non-drug users, the research found.
The results came from a 16-year study of amphetamine and cannabis use, which was published in a peer-reviewed journal.
“Adolescent behaviour problems predict drug use at 21, and drug use and life success at 30. But teenage drug use or disorders don’t appear to predict life success in adulthood among those who have ceased taking drugs before the age of 30,” Professor Najman, of the University of Queensland in Australia, said.
More than 2,300 children born to mothers from the Mater-University of Queensland Study of Pregnancy were involved in the research.
The study aimed to asses the degree to which amphetamine and cannabis use up to the age of 21 predicted life success at age 30.
Children were tested at the age of 14 for mental health aggression, delinquency and IQ. The study also considered information from mothers such as numbers of partners and a child’s contact with police.
The use of cannabis and amphetamine was self-reported at specific age points. At the age of 21, the authors interviewed the participants about past-drug taking and the impact on behaviour.
At 21, almost one in five reported cannabis use, 0.7% reported amphetamine abuse, and 3% reported use of both drugs. However, the researchers found that those who’d broken the habit by 30 did not have dramatically different life outcomes.
When the participants turned 30, life success was analysed and defined according to three categories, which factored in socioeconomic considerations such as account income, education and home ownership.
Quality of life and quality of intimate relationships were also used to measure success.
The use of cannabis and/or amphetamines did not independently predict life success at 30, according to the results, which were published in Addiction Research & Theory.
But it’s worth noting that those who continued with high cannabis use by age 30 were more likely to have high rates of poor life success.
As rates of drug use are high in adolescents, more research is needed for interventions to prevent drug use into adulthood, which is usually linked to lower life success, the authors said.
Even though this seems like good news, drug use can still be problematic. If you or someone you know is struggling with drug use, contact Frank.
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