Drug use by men admitted to a psychiatric hospital*

OBJECTIVE: to assess risk related to drug use in men admitted to a psychiatric hospital and to identify associations with sociodemographic, socioeconomic variables, and risk conditions. METHOD: a cross-sectional study with the application of a screening test in 209 participants hospitalized for mental and behavioral disorders due to the use of psychoactive substances. Statistical analysis was performed using descriptive statistics and adjustment of a binary logistic regression model for moderate or high risk of drug use. The odds ratio measured the strength of association. RESULTS: high use in life was observed, with alcohol and tobacco experimentation in adolescence. A high prevalence of related risk was observed for alcohol, tobacco, smoked and inhaled cocaine, and marijuana. Moderate and elevated risks were found for tobacco (22.5% and 62.5%, respectively), alcohol (13.5% and 73%), marijuana (16% and 32.5%), smoked cocaine (3% and 41%) and inhaled cocaine (9% and 19.5%). CONCLUSION: the results showed high use in life, with an age of early experimentation. Tobacco and alcohol are the main drugs used by hospitalized men.