Why do people use drugs? What are drugs a substitute for? Who is most vulnerable to substance abuse? What is the solution?

Today the list of abused drugs is so long it is nearly limitless, the routes of administration ensure an addiction risk unheard of in earlier eras, and the population at risk is greatly expanded, particularly among youth and the disadvantaged. The globalization of drug trafficking and the global shift in attitudes towards more acceptance of drug abuse have contributed to the epidemic now facing the world.

But illegal drug use is not ‘victimless’ and the consequences are borne not only by the drug users. Families, communities and even entire nations are harmed substantially by the so-called personal choice to use illicit drugs. Whether those consequences are crimes or overdoses, lowered workplace productivity or educational failure, these negative consequences of addictive drug use are universally shared.

Originally published in 1985 as In Search of Nirvana and updated in 1989,Alcohol and Drug Abuse: A Psychosocial and Spiritual Approach to Prevention takes account of the extensive research on the issue in the last twenty years. It focuses on primary prevention and explores the roles and responsibilities of individuals, families and society in addressing the worldwide crisis in drug abuse. Both prevention and recovery have profoundly spiritual dimensions, and Dr Ghadirian explores these in the light of the Bahá’í teachings.

A Bahá'í psychiatrist's perspective on the psychology and prevention of substance abuse.