It’s that time of year again! “What time of year are you talking about?”, you ask? It’s time to take the Global Drug Survey, of course. Well, kinda…
If you’ve been a Think Wilder reader for a while then you know that the Global Drug Survey opens back up at the end of every year, asking people all around the world about their relationship with drugs. But even though it seems like 2020 has already gone on for longer than a year, it’s not even summer yet. So why is GDS actively seeking responses right now?
Earlier this month Global Drug Survey launched a brand-new special edition of its annual survey that focuses on how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting people’s lives, relationships, mental health and well-being, as well as their use of alcohol and other drugs.
It only takes about 15 minutes to take, assuming that you have only used alcohol during the last few months, and an additional 10 minutes if you have used other drugs.
After completing your survey you will also be given the option to take part in an additional longitudinal cohort study that will track alcohol and other drug use patterns over time. Those who decide to participate in the cohort will receive short follow-up surveys every 30 days to monitor how things progress throughout the pandemic and beyond.
I reached out to Dr. Adam Winstock, the founder of GDS, to ask when the survey collection period will end. He let me know that the organization is hoping to launch all other countries by this Saturday and that people will have until mid-June to submit their responses.
The COVID-19 special edition of the Global Drug Survey is an excellent way to contribute to the collection of data that will be used to better understand substance use trends during the pandemic. I filled out my survey a couple days ago and encourage you to do the same.
Stay safe out there, y’all.