| The research tests ecological, compositional, and contextual theories of drug use for Illinois adults. The three theories are tested simultaneously using ordinary and logarithmic multiple regression with hierarchical inclusion. Each of the three theories are tested for three major types of drug use: alcohol use, prescription drug use, and illicit drug use. Data from a statewide survey of Illinois adults conducted in 1974 and 1975 are combined with census data to provide the data base necessary to test the three theories. The results support the contextual theory of drug use for alcohol and illicit drug use and compositional theory for prescription drug use. The results further indicate that adults who use drugs to excess specialize in the types of drugs they use. Implications of the research for policy, theory, and future research are discussed. |
