The Nature of Alcohol and Drug-related Problems

The physical, social and psychological problems associated with the misuse of alcohol and other drugs affect all levels of society and are extremely costly. However, compared with the considerable research and resulting recent advances in knowledge devoted to exploring the nature of drug dependence, there has been less attention given to the nature and causes of the resulting problems. For example, why the effects of alcohol should be more devastating in the young, or more prevalent in the socially disadvantaged, or the extent to which one can infer that drugs cause crime, are important theoretical and practical questions. The conference on which the book is based provided a forum for an international array of experts in the addictions field to focus on the practical and research issues surrounding alcohol and drug-related problems. The principal strength of the resulting analysis lies in the broad multidisciplinary perspective afforded by participants from the fields of sociology, psychology, philosophy, epidemiology and medicine.
This volume, which aims to point to the extent as well as to the limitations of the current state of knowledge, provides an overview and reference source for both professionals and students.