DeBeck, K., Kerr, T., Marshall, B., Simo, A., Montaner, J. & Wood, E. (2013). Risk factors for progression to regular injection drug use among street-involved youth in a Canadian setting. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 133(2): 468-472. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2013.07.008
Among 405 street-involved Canadian youth who had started injecting drugs, 72% became regular injectors, most of them within a month. Progression was predicted by injecting at a younger age, childhood physical abuse, prior regular use of the drug first injected, and having a sexual partner present at the first injection, but not by which drug was first injected. Addressing childhood trauma and offering youth-focused addiction treatment may help prevent the quick shift from experimenting to regular injecting.