The National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) definition of drug addiction as "a chronic relapsing disease of the brain, which is expressed in behavioral ways and occur in a social context", expresse

For the sake of brevity we shall not discuss in this paper the clinical manifestations induced by each drug or drug-group.

The active principle of marijuana and hashish, D 9 cannabinol (THC), seems to be accountable for the drugs' central affects. Both forms are prepared from the leaves of a plant, Cannabis sativa.

Hallucinogenic or "psychedelic" drugs have the capacity to induce hallucinations without delusion.

The psychostimulants is a group of drugs with differing structures and common actions such as increased motor activity and lessening of sleep necessity.

Alcohol is a multiple-action depressor of the Central Nervous System, and the depression caused by it is dose-dependent.

Certain characteristics seem to be common to all abuse-inducing drugs:

Investigations show that some alcoholics begin to drink due to social pressures or in response to stressing situations in their lives.