ABSTRACT
This chapter covers the historical aspects of alcohol and drug problems and provides an overview of the current definitions of drug dependence or drug addiction. It explores the theoretical models underlying drug dependence and provides a brief outline of etiological models. Epidemiological data on tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs provide a framework for understanding the nature and the size of the problem. A few of the longitudinal studies are briefly discussed and some of the basic concepts of treatment are explored in order to explore models of career and natural history in drug use.
