Drug dependency: some etiological considerations

In an effort to illuminate etiological aspects of drug dependency, some findings from genetics are examined for meaningful connections with psychological areas, particularly with regard to the contribution of Object Relations theory. The latter is described in some detail, using methadone maintenance treatment as an illustrative context. Connections between the two areas are described which increase an understanding of the relevance of each and which raise questions about the artificiality of the usual separation of biological and psychological approaches in this area.