A Handbook on Drug and Alcohol Abuse The Biomedical Aspects [Paperback]

This comprehensive text on the pharmacological, medical, and legal aspects of drug abuse has been thoroughly updated for the Fourth Edition, and a new chapter on club drugs added. The chapter on medical effects was completely rewritten to focus on infections that develop in i.v. drug abusers, and information on the international regulation of drug use was added to the chapter on drug abuse and the law. The book is written at a level appropriate for upper level undergraduate students, graduate or medical students, and drug counselors. All major drugs of abuse are covered: tobacco, opioids, central stimulants (including cocaine, amphetamine, and caffeine), alcohol and other sedatives, marijuana, club drugs (MDMA, GHB, and ketamine), hallucinogens, and volatile solvents. For each type the authors discuss history and culture, the characteristic patterns of use, subjective and physiological effects, mechanisms of pharmacological action, and toxic effects. Epidemiological aspects are discussed as well as pharmacological treatment possibilities where applicable.

1. Introduction
2. Tobacco and Nicotine
3. Opiods
4. Depressants of the Central Nervous System
5. Depressants of the Central Nervous System: Volatile Solvents and Aerosol Inhalation
6. Club Drugs: MDMA, GHB, Ketamine, and Agents Taken in Similar Patterns
7. Marijuana and Hashish
8. Central Nervous System Stimulants: Cocaine, Amphetamines, Related Drugs, and Caffeine
9. Medical Issues Associated with Drug Abuse
10. Drug Abuse and the Law

It is useful as a concise reference, and would be the book to pull off of the library shelf should you need a diagram of the chemical structure of heroin for a teaching session. --Primary Care Psychology

From reviews of previous editions:

Comprehensive in scope and detail...The detailed descriptions of how the drugs are abused, their physiological and psychological effects, and the withdrawal symptoms will be elc°