Do eating behaviors change before and after engagement in co-use of alcohol and cannabis?

Background The current study examined associations between substance use (alcohol, cannabis, and simultaneous co-use of alcohol and cannabis) and eating behaviors (amount and type of food consumption). The aims of the current study were to assess (1) the frequencies of different eating behaviors on simultaneous co-use of alcohol and cannabis occasions, (2) typical substance use behaviors (alcohol-only, cannabis-only, and simultaneous co-use) among those who engage in different eating behaviors before and after simultaneous co-use, and (3) whether experiences of consequences on simultaneous co-use occasions differed between those who typically engaged in eating before or after simultaneous co-use.Method Participants were 155 undergraduate students who completed an online survey about their substance use frequency, food consumption before and after simultaneous co-use, frequency of junk food (i.e. low nutritional value) consumption after simultaneous co-use, frequency of food consumption later in the night after simultaneous co-use, and simultaneous co-use consequences.Results Frequencies indicated that students may exhibit different levels of food consumption before and after simultaneous co-use. Results revealed that participants who “always" ate junk food and “always” continued to eat after simultaneous co-use, reported greater alcohol use frequency. Results indicated that students who ate less food than usual before, more food than usual after simultaneous co-use, and those who ate more junk food than usual after simultaneous co-use, reported more simultaneous co-use consequences.Conclusion Simultaneous co-use may contribute to changes in eating behaviors among young adults.