Me, myself, and high: precipitants of emerging adult solitary cannabis use.

Wedel A.; Sanders B.; Park A. · Addictive behaviors reports · 2026

**Background & Methods** This momentary assessment study examined temporal and contextual associations between loneliness and solitary cannabis use among 59 emerging adults (mean age 22.88, 59% female) who used cannabis alone at least twice weekly. Participants completed ecological momentary assessments over 15 days, with multilevel models used to test bidirectional within-person relationships between loneliness, negative social experiences, and solitary cannabis use after accounting for between-person differences. **Key Findings** - Same-moment affective loneliness was significantly associated with higher odds of solitary cannabis use (OR = 1.02, p < .001), whereas negative social experiences were not predictive of use initiation. - Affective loneliness was substantially higher during moments of solitary use compared to other contexts (B = 6.69, p < .001), demonstrating co-occurrence between acute loneliness and solitary cannabis consumption. - Contrary to expectations, negative social experiences were less likely to occur following solitary cannabis use episodes (IRR = 0.85, p = .045), suggesting solitary use may function as an initial form of social withdrawal rather than exacerbating social difficulties. **Dosage & Administration** Not reported. **Safety & Adverse Effects** Not reported. **Evidence Quality** This study has several notable limitations. The small sample size (n=59) and selective recruitment of frequent solitary users (minimum twice weekly) limit generalizability to broader cannabis-using populations. The cross-sectional momentary design cannot establish causal directionality despite bidirectional analyses; the observed associations may reflect unmeasured confounders or reverse causality. The study is restricted to emerging adults and excludes other age groups. Missing data handling and compliance with the 15-day assessment protocol are not detailed. As a prospective ecological momentary assessment study with validated statistical approaches, the evidence level is moderate, suitable for hypothesis generation but requiring replication in larger, more diverse samples before informing clinical interventions. The findings suggest loneliness as a potential intervention target, though mechanistic understanding of why solitary use does not subsequently increase loneliness requires further investigation.

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