ABSTRACT
This part introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters. The part reviews the social background of the two groups of drug users and paints a picture of their varying conditions of living in diverse social, cultural and economic worlds. It presents the consumption patterns of, first socially integrated, and then marginalized consumers and discusses prevalence of main drugs used, frequency of consumption, and most prevalent drug combinations. The part deals with the marginalized drug users only and compares the consumption patterns of respondents on substitution treatment to the patterns of those who do not participate in substitution. It aims to estimate individual daily and monthly consumption as well as monthly cost of drug use of marginalized and integrated drug users in some European cities. The socially integrated drug users were recruited at leisure time events, private contacts and via pill-testing programmes.
