Drug outcome expectancies, that is beliefs about the results
of drug use, offer a key tool in predicting substance use initiation
and continued use. Drug expectancies can be understood as informational
structures in long-term memory.28–30 These fundamental
elements of memory are theorized to both organize input to the
central nervous system and guide management of behavior, acting
as a “final common pathway” that is implicated in connections
between a variety of prior conditions (for example, genetic predisposition,
social influence, emotional state, personality) and drug
use decisions31,32