Changing Highs –Exploring Substance Trends, Motives, and Emotional Dimensions of Recreational Drug Use

Abstract Recreational drug use continues to rise worldwide (UNODC, 2025). Alongside growing consumption figures, which are receiving a lot of attention, a more subtle yet significant shift is emerging: The increasing use of new and largely unknown substances that are reshaping patterns and trends within the recreational scene (EMCDDA, 2024; Winstock et al., 2022). This online cross-sectional study (N = 716) explored recreational drug users’ perspectives by assessing socio-demographics, consumption patterns, motives, and emotional states (PANAS; Breyer & Bluemke, 2016) to identify subjective experiences and emerging trends. The results highlight particularities in the emotional experiences of recreational drug users, such as greater emotional reactivity compared to the standardized non-using sample. In addition, differences in the emotional experiences were also found between the different consumer groups, as well as in terms of the underlying motives for consumption. To understand recreational drug use and its developments, it is necessary to have in-depth knowledge about users. Examining their subjective experiences offers valuable insights and supports the development of health-promoting, user-oriented strategies, such as considering emotional aspects and underlying motives for use.