NCJ Number
129684
Date Published
1990
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This analysis of three studies that gathered information on patterns of multiple drug abuse concludes that future studies should try to use techniques that differentiate specific types of polydrug abuse, because each type poses distinct social problems and therapeutic challenges.
Abstract
The three studies used large, unselected populations drawn from treatment facilities and focused on the abuse of alcohol, prescription drugs, and illegal drugs. The population consisted of newly-admitted patients to a 2,000-bed psychiatric hospital over a 9-year period, drug abusers in the Substance Abuse Warning System of the Federal Republic of Germany, and drug abusers admitted to 50 institutions specializing in drug abuse treatment. The results showed that polydrug abuse is a common, but varied phenomenon that poses special problems for therapy and social policy. Findings also indicated that international comparative studies will be highly useful only if they monitor both drug abuse and patterns of abuse. Conducting such studies will require the use of comparable methods and criteria. Tables, figures, and 15 references (Author abstract modified)