Theories on Drug Abuse: Selected Contemporary Perspectives. Research Monograph 30.

This volume presents various theoretical orientations and perspectives of the drug abuse research field, derived from the social and biomedical sciences. The first section contains a separate theoretical overview for each of the 43 theories or perspectives. The second section contains five chapters which correspond to the five components of a drug abuse theory, i.e., initiation, continuation, transition and use to abuse, cessation, and relapse. A series of guides, devised to facilitate comparison and contrast of the theories, lists: (1) all contributing theorists and their professional affiliations; (2) classifications of the theories into four categories of one's relationship to self, to others, to society, and to nature; (3) identifications of the theories by academic discipline; (4) corresponding page numbers for each theory and its overview; and (5) a concise, comparative summary of each theory. Suggestions for the use of this reference are also included. (Author/NRB)