As the drug abuse epidemic evolves, so do the tools needed to understand and treat it. Accordingly, Epidemiology of Drug Abuse takes the long view, cogently outlining what the book calls "the natural history of drug abuse" and redefining its complex phenomena to reflect our present-day knowledge. Twenty-six eminent contributors discuss the state and future of the field, balancing the practical concerns involved in gathering drug abuse data with the ethics of using the information.

• Current thinking on pathways and etiology, as well as medical, psychological, and social sequelae of drug abuse - Proven, up-to-date methodologies for assessment - Challenges of gathering data from high-risk and other user populations - Sampling and application issues - Uses, sources, and limitations of treatment data - Analytical papers applying the methodologies to specific and global studies - The role of epidemiology studies in developing prevention strategies

With this multifaceted approach to the subject, Epidemiology of Drug Abuse provides researchers and educators with a reference that sheds significant light on infrequently covered areas. In addition, its breadth and accessibility of coverage make it a teaching text suitable to courses in epidemiology, public health, and drug abuse.

Inhalt
Natural History of Drug Abusing Behaviors.- Defining and Measuring Drug Abusing Behaviors.- Drug Abuse Heterogeneity and the Search for Subtypes.- Studying the Natural History of Drug Use.- Health, Social, and Psychological Consequences of Drug Use and Abuse.- Epidemiological Methods.- Use of Archival Data.- Sampling Issues in Drug Epidemiology.- Collecting Drug Use Data from Different Populations.- Indirect Methods to Estimate Prevalence.- Qualitative Methods in the Drug Abuse Field.- Ethical Considerations for Drug Abuse Epidemiologic Research.- Descriptive and Analytic Epidemiologic Studies.- A Common Language for a Common Problem: The Developing Role of Drug Epidemiology in a Global Context.- Longitudinal Studies of Drug Use and Abuse.- Drug Abuse and the Spread of Infection: HIV and AIDS as an Example.- Epidemiologic Information and Demand Reduction.- Implications of Epidemiologic Information for Effective Drug Abuse Prevention Strategies.- The Role of Treatment Data in Studying the Epidemiology of Substance Use and Abuse.