PREVENTION OF SUBSTANCE USE PROBLEMS - MODELS, FACTORS, AND PROCESSES

The use of substances for medical or nonmedical reasons occurs in most cultures. Regardless of the reason for use, however, most types of su bstance use (or drug-taking behaviors) have their associated problem s tates. The prevention of substance use problems is an important issue and need in every society. In this review we present and discuss vario us models and factors that purport to describe and predict patterns of drug use, and we discuss various strategies to prevent the occurrence of substance use problems.