Intoxicants and other causes of addiction
A general trend among higher education students is a decrease in smoking and the use of snus. Recent years have seen new phenomena emerge, such as the use of nicotine pouches and e-cigarettes (vaping).
In terms of alcohol consumption, the number of higher education students consuming little or no alcohol has increased in recent decades. High-risk alcohol consumption is observed among one out of three students. Among women, high-risk use has increased.
During the first decade of this millennium, drug experimentation and use became more common among higher education students, but began to decrease again in the 2010s. In the 2020s, cannabis use has decreased, and the use of stimulants has remained unchanged.
Legal and illegal intoxicants
Intoxicants can be classified in many different ways, for example according to their mechanism of action or legal status. In Finland, alcohol and tobacco products and caffeine are legal intoxicants, whereas drugs are illegal intoxicants. According to their mechanism of action, drugs can be classified into cannabinoids, opioids, stimulants and hallucinogens .
With medicinal agents affecting the central nervous system, their method and purpose of use define whether we are talking about medical use or substance abuse. Taking a sleeping aid as prescribed and instructed by a doctor is consedered as medical use. However taking a greater dose of the sleeping aid than prescribed together with alcohol or injected into a vein is substance abuse, even though the substance is the same. On the other hand, an otherwise illegal cannabis product may be considered as medicinal if the user has a doctor’s prescription and special permission granted by the authorities to use it.
Some chemical compoundswhich have their own particular uses, such as solvents, glues or gasoline, can be inhaled for intoxication purposes. This is referred to as substance abuse of legally-acquired products.
Behavioural addictions
In recent decades, it has been recognised that behaviors and activities can also lead to addictions. Behavioral addictions typically develop from activities that provide quick pleasure, such as gambling, internet use, sex, or shopping.
In recent years, features of addiction have also been observed in some eating-related challenges and in addiction to social media. However, there is no official diagnosis for food addiction or social media addiction.