Introduction: Trends in recreational drug use indicate a steady increase in prevalence rates, as well as changing trends in use, such as the use of diverse psychoactive substances or alternative modes of consumption (e.g. mixed use)[1-5]. To understand development trends and changes in recreational drug use comprehensive knowledge of this hidden population[6] is required to derive consumer-oriented harm-reduction strategies which should be the fundamental aims in recreational drug use[7].


Purpose: The aim of the study is to research recreational drug users with a particular focus on their underlying individual motive as an influencing factor for the respective substance use.


Method: Using a cross-sectional design, recreational drug users were surveyed online regarding their use patterns and motives.
Results: 716 volunteers (52.7% male, 44.7% female, 0.1% intersex, 2% non-binary) aged 18 - 68 (M= 30.85;SD= 9.14) using different substance groups (uppers, downers, hallucinogens, mixed-use) took part in the study. Relevant differences in the reported motives for use, e.g. in relation to the motive 'use to party/at parties' ((χ²(6)=18.76,p=.005)), were found, which was reported significantly less (7.5%) by users of the substance group downers, whereas it was reported significantly more (25.7%) by users of the mixed-use group uppers + hallucinogens.


Conclusions: Motives differ based on substances. For example, the significantly higher importance of 'use to party/at parties' among users with a mixed-use of upper + hallucinogens suggest a trend towards the use of hallucinogenic substances such as 2C-B or 1cP-LSD in nightlife for party use. The results underline the importance of including key aspects such as underlying motives, reasons for substance choice and individual use patterns to understand ongoing changes in the world of recreational drug use and derive consumer-orientated harm reduction strategies and health promotion.