... fact remains that drug use does not inevitably lead to addiction. Addiction is more than mere drug use. It is defined specifically as a compulsive pattern of drug-seeking and drug-taking behaviour that takes place at the expense of most other activities. The key questions in addiction, therefore, are why some susceptible individuals undergo a transition from casual drug use to compulsive patterns of drug use (Edwards 1981:225-42) There are three different areas of explanation. The first involves the neurobiological effects of drugs and explains drug dependence (addiction) in biological terms. The second area is psychological, explanations concentrate on models of behaviour and differences between individuals. The final area of explanation concerns the social and environmental factors that influence the likelihood of addictions (or drug dependence). "The inescapable fact is that nature gave us the ability to become hooked because the brain has dearly evolved a reward system, just as it has a ...

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