Use of hallucinogens in Slovakia: Does it differ from global trends?

BackgroundPeople have been using hallucinogens for thousands of years and interest in these substances has grown in recent years. The aim of this study was to determine the basic socio-demographic data, preferences, experiences, and attitudes associated with hallucinogen use in Slovakia.MethodsA cross-sectional research design was used whereby an online survey included participants who had had at least one experience with hallucinogens (N = 422, age M = 27.78; SD = 7.84; SE = 0.38; 35.1% females). Due to the illegal, intimate, and minority nature of the phenomena studied, data was collected using the snowball sampling method via an online social network in groups that declared a drug focus.ResultsUsers of hallucinogens were mostly employed (61,8%) and in some form of partnership (57,6%); they usually have a high school diploma (46,68%) or a university degree (45,41%). They most often use psilocybin mushrooms, while the age of initial use (M = 19,61; SD = 5,39) as well as lifetime frequency use (M = 18,26; SD = 24,21; Median = 10) are similar to global trends. Free use without rituals was preferred to ceremonial use. In general, our sample of hallucinogen users considered the integration of psychedelic experiences to be simple rather than challenging. Concurrently, they tended to see hallucinogens as useful to humans, but realised that they are not without risk and can be somewhat dangerous. Males used hallucinogens for the first time at a younger age (p