ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the theoretical considerations and formulations that shaped view of substance use during the historical period. It describes a series of analyses conducted with two large samples of college students at an urban, northeastern university and at a regional state university in Kentucky. The chapter also discusses the scope and nature of drug use in American society. It reviews different theoretical viewpoints offered to explain youthful drug use. The chapter explores deficiencies in prevalent viewpoints that led to the theoretical perspectives. Drugs are used to obtain desired effects—to help the individual to feel or experience something uncommon, to change a mood or alter one's experiences and state of consciousness. The chapter attempts to present a very brief overview of the behavioral or psychological effects of the various chemical substances. It provides several major categories, each with similar or contrasting effects; it is possible to reclassify the present drug categories in several different ways.
