Reasons for not drinking among young adults with simultaneous alcohol and cannabis use: A latent class analysis applied to daily diary data.

Simultaneous alcohol and cannabis use (i.e., simultaneous use) is prevalent among young adults and often associated with negative consequences. Understanding reasons for not drinking (RND) may provide insight into a key intervention target for reducing negative consequences associated with simultaneous use. RND may vary on a day-to-day level, and multiple RND may be endorsed on a given day. Latent class analysis (LCA) of daily diary data is a nuanced approach that can identify complex patterns of daily RND as well as its day- and person-level covariates. The current study was a secondary data analysis of daily diary data from young adults who engaged in heavy drinking and recent simultaneous use (n = 154). We aimed to: (1) characterize daily RND, (2) use LCA to classify day-level patterns of RND, and (3) compare latent classes on same-day variables (i.e., positive and negative affect, day of the week), previous-day variables (i.e., substance use, intoxication level, consequences), and person-level characteristics (i.e., age, sex, baseline substance use frequency, simultaneous use motives). Participants completed up to 14 consecutive diaries. Multilevel LCA identified four classes of heterogeneous daily RND profiles. Daily RND classes significantly differed in terms of day of the week, previous day quantity of cannabis use, and several baseline variables (age, typical substance use, simultaneous use motives). Study findings offer preliminary support for heterogeneous RND classes among young adults engaging in simultaneous use and suggest multiple avenues for future research.

Daily Exercise and Alcohol Use Among Young Adult College Students.

The present study examined associations between exercise and alcohol use at the between- and within-person levels, including temporal sequencing and the impact of gender. Participants were 221 college students that completed an online survey and 14 daily surveys assessing their daily exercise and alcohol use. Individuals who reported higher exercise scores also consumed more alcohol, on average. On days when individuals reported consuming fewer drinks than usual, they also reported greater exercise scores. Individuals reported lower exercise scores following a day with heavier alcohol use than usual or a day with heavy episodic drinking. Exercise was unassociated with next-day alcohol use. There were mixed findings on the impact of gender. Exercise may have a more proximal influence on drinking. Exercise interventions for alcohol use could target days with higher probabilities of drinking to reduce levels of alcohol use among college students.