In short
Drub Vibes – The Belgian Survey on Drugs — is an annual web survey that collects information about drug users’ habits and behaviour, tracks the possible changes on these matters over time, and asks information about current drug related issues and events (e.g., legalisation of cannabis). The insights from this study can be used to support prevention and treatment programs and inform public health policy.
Project description
Drug Vibes started at the beginning of the COVID – 19 pandemic (April 2019) and its initial goal was to gather timely information about how drug users fare during this difficult period. From wave six (March 2022), the survey’s goal shifted to providing insights into drugs users’ behaviour and habits on an annual basis; and to monitor the changes on these topics over time. More specifically, the survey focuses on current drug users – last month use – of:
- cannabis
- ecstasy
- cocaine
- ketamine
- and/or amphetamine.
For each of the five drugs consumed, users are asked a set of fixed questions about their:
- frequency of use
- amount consumed on a typical day of use
- motivations and reasons to use
- purchase channel
- or consumption location.
The questionnaire of the 6th wave also contains a socio-demographic module, as well as one about emotional wellbeing, and an optional module about alcohol consumption. The topic of the optional module remains flexible to change from one year to the other. Here you can check the questionnaire in four different languages:
This survey is not intended to provide the same information as the Health Information Survey, a national representative survey that measures, among others, the prevalence of drug use in the Belgian society, but to zoom in on the drug users population and offer complementary and additional insights.
We believe that the combination of questions about drug users behaviour and habits coupled with detailed information about their socio-demographic information or wellbeing allow us to gain new insights about drug users that can be used to :
- monitor trends in substance use
- support prevention and treatment programs
- estimate the need for treatment
- inform the public health policy.
We kindly invite you to contact us! Members of the press are asked to contact Sciensano’s media relations team.
