OPIOID USERS IN MOSCOW: QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE CHARACTERISTICS
This research allowed us to study socio-demographic and behavioral patterns of opioid users in Moscow in 2009. Qualitative characteristics of drug use (patterns of their consumption during the last month and year, methods of use and sources of acquisition were analyzed. The quantitative characteristics such as a period and frequency of use, quantity of drugs used, and expenses on drugs on an individual level were studied. Heroin is the drug of the "first choice " with the highest frequency of use (21 day per month on average) for most of opioid consumers. The other opioid drugs were used considerably seldom - 8-10 times during a month. The number of days of heroin and other drugs use varied considerably - from 2 to 31 day per moth. The quantity of drugs used (doses per diem/month) also varied extremely. The revealed polymorphism of drug use quantitative parameters may be associated with the heterogeneity of the presented sample and needs in-depth study.