Publisher's Synopsis
This book results from a meeting organized by the Society for the Study of Addiction in May 1992, together with further invited contributions. Addiction may by perceived as a progressive disease, or as an adaption of key neuroreceptors, depending on the viewpoint of the observer. Factors influencing changes in addictive behaviour may have a psychological and/or pharmacological basis. Innovation, changes in personal ideology and intention, changes in personal relationships, and socio-economic and legal factors each play a role in the changing use of addictive substances. This volume addresses the many processes of change affecting substance abuse from a multidisciplinary perspective.