Films and television shows often portray substance abuse as an issue confined to secret back rooms and dark alleys, the purview of the weak and vile. The truth is that the use and mis- use of drugs, legal or otherwise, doesn’t discriminate by race, gender, age, or socioeconomic status. Alcohol and tobacco are similarly addictive, prone to abuse, and damaging to human health.

In this volume, readers will discover many of the issues related to substance use and abuse. Included are a discussion of substances that have a high propensity for abuse, the properties that make them so addictive, and the physiological factors that lead to dependence. Also covered in these chapters are the historical factors that have contributed to alcohol, tobacco, and drug use throughout the centuries, as well as the moral, ethical, and legislative arguments that have been at the heart of the debate over the use of addictive substances.