Prevalence of the improper use of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs in the Ecuadorian population.

An epidemiologic investigation was conducted in 1988 to measure prevalences of the improper use of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs in the Ecuadorian population. This research was based on a structured interview survey of 6,000 individuals representative of the country's entire population between the ages of 10 and 65. The relative frequency of the various common forms of consumption of these substances was also investigated. Overall, the substances used by the highest percentages of study subjects at least once in their lives were alcohol (by 75%) and tobacco (by 54%). Lesser percentages had used medically prescribed psychotropic drugs (for example, 16% reported using tranquilizers at least once). The percentages using the same drugs illegally, without prescription, were lower (for example, 4% in the case of tranquilizers), and the percentages reporting use of outlawed drugs were also small (the respective percentages reporting use of marijuana, inhalants, native plant drugs, cocaine, and cocaine base were 4%, 2%, 1%, 1%, and 1%). The study also found that the prevalences of addiction to substances other than alcohol and tobacco were relatively low, ranging from 0.8% for tranquilizers taken without prescription to 0.01% for cocaine.