A decade of professional research on drug abuse has produced both an abundance of materials and a vocabulary that is not shared by planners, clinicians, and policy makers. This handbook compiles the major developments of the period and their treatment and research implications in a style intended to be understood by all three types of…

The efficacy of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) and psychotropic medications in children with autism is limited to the treatment of seizures or to specific behaviors such as irritability, impulsivity, hyperactivity, repetitive behaviors, or aggression. The reliability and value of the available data--to determine the efficacy of these medications in…

This report provides an analysis of recent findings on drug and alcohol use trends among girls. Data indicate that girls have caught up with boys in illicit drug and alcohol use and have actually surpassed boys in cigarette and prescription drug use. Also, more girls than boys are new users of substances. Marijuana is the illicit drug most widely…

Expectant parents are introduced to the effects of a variety of drugs on the unborn baby. Material is divided into seven sections. Section 1 deals with the most frequently used recreational drugs, including alcohol, marijuana, narcotics, depressants, stimulants, inhalants, and hallucinogens. Sections 2 and 3 focus on the effects of prescription…

This project is part of a multi-year program to gather detailed information about substance-use patterns among Texans. Investigators interviewed a total of 946 youths, age 10 to 17, as they entered Texas Youth Commission (TYC) reception facilities. Results show that 81% of TYC youth have used illicit substances--51% in their last month on the…

This paper describes a research project sponsored and funded by the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Affairs (INL) on substance abuse and treatment in ten countries. The purpose of the study was to identify promising practices in drug treatment in Europe, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. The steps taken to complete this…

Primary symptoms of cocaine use and behavioral characteristics of chronic users are pointed out. Ways that school health services can help identify and assist students who abuse the substance are suggested. Approaches such as peer identification, self-diagnosis, and use of a school ombudsman are discussed. (PP)

The development of the drug overuse and addiction treatment models in the United States has an enormous impact on the adoption of similar activities throughout the world. The increased globalization of substance abuse attracted treatment practitioners from Europe to the U.S. to examine the implementation of therapeutic community and other models…

This book combines in a single volume the findings of basic research and clinical studies conducted on the effects of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs on the fetus, the mother, and the baby after birth and through lactation. It first outlines changing perspectives on teratology (the study of causes for birth defects), as knowledge about the…

The National Collegiate Drug Awareness Week 1988 (conceived and initiated by the Inter-Association Task Force on Alcohol and Other Substance Issues) began with a Kick-Off Conference of educators that provided students and professionals an opportunity to share ideas and experiences. One-page abstracts of 17 conference presentations are as follows:…

Explains the incidence and nature of drug trafficking and chemical dependency among adolescent black males. The paper also discusses the social science theories of Emile Durkheim, Karl Marx, and Molefi Asante to better understand the behaviors, and the consequences of those behaviors, of young black males who participate in drug trafficking. (GR)

When the use of illegal drugs first exploded on college campuses in the late 1960s and ultimately became a part of the fabric of pop culture in the United States, fears about the possible effect of this phenomenon on adolescents and society as a whole began to consume the public. One of the most widespread and promising initiatives to emerge in…

The first National Drug Control Strategy set ambitious two and five-year performance based goals: (1) to lower the rate of drug use by 10 percent over 2 years among both youth and adults; and (2) to lower the rate by 25 percent over 5 years. The chapters in this updated version are keyed to the strategies three priorities: (1) Stopping Use Before…