DRUG-USE AND LIFE-STYLE AMONG COLLEGE-STUDENTS IN AUSTRIA AND THE UNITED-STATES

Using an anonymous questionnaire, we assessed the prevalence of alcoho l use and illicit drug use among 545 college students in Innsbruck, Au stria in 1995. The questionnaire also assessed various aspects of stud ents' lifestyles, including academic performance, college activities, career plans, visits to a psychiatrist, and sexual activity. We compar ed these results with those obtained using the same questionnaire at a similar American college in 1989. We found that the prevalence of vir tually all forms of illicit substance use was much higher among the Am erican students. In both Austria and the United States, however, we fo und few differences between drug users and nonusers on most measures o f lifestyle, with the exception of heterosexual activity.