The association between tobacco smoking and use of other psychoactive substances among Egyptian male students.

The present study is part of a large scale project on the extent of substance use among young people in Egypt. Data collected on two representative samples of secondary school boys (N = 5530) and technical school pupils (N = 3686) through the administration of a standardized questionnaire are broken down along four parameters: tobacco smoking, use of medical psychoactive substances, consumption of natural narcotics and alcohol drinking. In the present paper we concentrate on relevant answers of tobacco smokers vs. non-smokers in both secondary school and technical school students. More smokers than non-smokers were found to be living away from their families and stating that at least one of the parents was dead. More smokers than non-smokers reported participating in peers' activities. Smokers were, also, found to outnumber non-smokers in being exposed to various kinds of drug-use related stimuli. Invariably, tobacco smokers were found to be more daring than non-smokers in thinking of psychoactive substances, in trying such substances and in continuing to take them. Smokers were, moreover, reported to exceed non-smokers in being under treatment from various physical as well as psychological ailments. These findings were discussed with emphasis on their heuristic value for the development of plans for treatment and/or prevention.