Coping with substance abuse: a many-sided task

Steady progress is being made towards understanding the use of drugs for non-therapeutic purposes. The associated problems are increasingly regarded as having psychological, biological and social dimensions. There is a growing acceptance that the hazardous consumption of alcohol and other drugs can both result from and exacerbate poor socioeconomic conditions. Sustained action to combat drug-related problems is needed on a broad front; there is no panacea.