Synopsis
This chapter looks at the attempts that have been made in the UK to estimate the prevalence of drug abuse. All the studies emphasise that epidemiology is an inexact science, particularly in an area such as drug misuse where the activity is illegal and has a stigma attached to it. However, there is ample evidence that, after a period of relative stability in the early seventies, the eighties have seen a rapid escalation of drug abuse. An attempt has been made to examine the illicit drug problem in the context of both socially accepted drug use and the use of medically prescribed drugs, by the community as a whole. After a broad review of the official statistics and of general and localised surveys, the pattern and extent of the current use of drugs are described. The chapter ends by describing the demographic characteristics of drug abusers and the problems they present.
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© 1990 Macmillan Publishers Limited
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Gupta, S.D. (1990). Extent and Pattern of Drug Abuse and Dependence. In: Ghodse, H., Maxwell, D. (eds) Substance Abuse and Dependence. Palgrave, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-20859-3_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-20859-3_4
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