Table 3.
Non-injection drug use among 1158 injection drug users (IDUs) in Chennai
| Variable | n (%) |
|---|---|
| Drugs used in the prior 1 month | |
| Marijuana | 850 (73.4) |
| Smoked brown sugar | 131 (11.3) |
| Chased brown sugar | 295 (25.5) |
| Prescription medications | 201 (17.4) |
| Chewing tobacco | 212 (18.3) |
| Ever consumed alcohol | |
| Yes | 914 (78.9) |
| Frequency of alcohol use | |
| <1 per week | 372 (40.7) |
| 1 to 2 days per week | 207 (22.7) |
| 3 to 6 days per week | 135 (25.7) |
| Everyday | 100 (10.9) |
| Quantity of alcohol consumption | |
| Number of drinks used per drinking episode [median (IQR)] | 4 (4 – 4) |
| Ever combined alcohol and drugs | |
| Yes | 548 (59.5) |
| Type of alcohol consumed when combining with drugs† | |
| Brandy | 427 (77.9) |
| Whiskey | 204 (37.2) |
| Rum | 250 (45.6) |
| Vodka | 13 (2.4) |
| Beer | 55 (10) |
| Drugs most likely to combine with alcohol† | |
| Marijuana | 418 (76.3) |
| Brown Sugar (heroin) | 85 (15.5) |
| Mawa/ Zarda | 36 (6.6) |
| Pharmaceutical Drugs | 6 (1.1) |
| Reason for combining alcohol with drugs† | |
| Insufficient intoxication | 516 (94.2) |
| Experimentation | 6 (1.1) |
| Peer Influence | 22 (4) |
†
Questions were asked only of the 548 who reported drinking while high