In today’s world, drugs and their use present asocial paradox, combining the potential for good and forbad. As a society and as individuals, we can be the bene-ficiaries of drugs or their victims. This perspective con-tinues to be the message of Drugs, Behavior, and ModernSociety, fourth edition. As has been the case since the firstedition was published in 1996, you will be introduced tothe basic facts and the major issues concerning drug-tak-ing behavior in a straightforward, comprehensive, andreader-friendly manner. A background in biology, sociol-ogy, psychology, or chemistry is not necessary. The onlyrequirement is a sense of curiosity about the range ofchemical substances that affect our minds and our bod-ies and an interest in the challenges these substancesbring to our daily lives.

You are about to embark on a journey that beganthousands of years ago. Drugs and drug-taking behaviorhave been around for a very long time, and you will findthat the issues that we tend to associate with the presenttime are really issues that society has had to confront forquite a while. In an important way, drugs and drug-takingbehavior reflect a major aspect of being human—we arean intensely curious species. This particular trait has ledus to discover substances that make us feel stronger, morealert, calmer, more distant and dissociated from our sur-roundings, or simply good. It is the misuse and abuse ofthese substances that have resulted in massive problemsin the United States and around the world.

To understand the complex issues surrounding drugsin our society, we need to recognize the enormous diver-sity that exists among drugs that affect the mind and thebody. We must educate ourselves not only about illicitstreet drugs such as cocaine, amphetamines, heroin, andmarijuana but also about legally available drugs such asalcohol, nicotine, and caffeine. Drugs, Behavior, andModern Society, fourth edition, has been designed to bethe most comprehensive review of psychoactive drugs ofany undergraduate college textbook available today. It isparticularly notable for the attention given to two aspectsof drug-taking behavior that have been underreported in

other texts: steroid abuse and inhalant abuse. These top-ics are covered in chapters of their own, Chapters 8 and13, respectively. Highlights include the impact of dietarysupplements, whether herb-based or not, on the currentdrug scene, the impact of “club drugs” on contemporarydrug-taking behavior, and the recent increase in theabuse of methylamphetamine and prescription analgesic(pain-relief) medications such as OxyContin.

We need to recognize that the problems surround-ing drug misuse and abuse are not someone else’s con-cern but rather everyone’s concern. Like it or not, thedecision to use drugs today is one of life’s choices, re-gardless of our racial, ethnic, or religious background,how much money we have, where we live, how much ed-ucation we have acquired, whether we are male or fe-male, or whether we are young or old. The potential formisuse and abuse is a problem facing all of us.

The fourth edition ofDrugs, Behavior, and Mod-ern Society is built uponthe strengths of earlier edi-tions. Like the third edi-

tion, the chapters are presented in five sections:

Part 1 (Chapters 1–3): Drugs in Society/Drugs in OurLivesPart 2 (Chapters 4–8): Legally Restricted Drugs in OurSocietyPart 3 (Chapters 9–13): Legal Drugs in Our SocietyPart 4 (Chapters 14–16): Medicinal DrugsPart 5 (Chapters 17–18): Treatment, Prevention, andEducation

As you will see, discussions of particular drugs have beengrouped not in terms of their pharmacological or chem-ical characteristics but rather in terms of their access tothe general public and societal attitudes toward theiruse. The last section of the book concerns itself with

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Features of theFourth Edition

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treatment, prevention, and education. In addition, sev-eral special features throughout the book will enhanceyour experience as a reader and serve as learning aids.

Quick Concept ChecksSometimes, when the material gets complicated, youwant to have a quick way of finding out if you understandthe basic concepts being explained. I have included fromtime to time a Quick Concept Check, where you can seein a minute or two where you stand. Some of the Checkswill be in a matching format; others will be an interpre-tation of a graph or diagram. In some cases you will beasked to apply the principles you have learned to a real-world situation.

PortraitsThe Portrait feature in each chapter takes you into thelives of individuals who have either influenced our think-ing about drugs in our society or have been impacted bydrug use or abuse. Some of them are known to the pub-lic at large, but many are not. In any case, the Portraitsadd a human touch to the discussion of drugs and be-havior. They remind us that throughout this book we aredealing with issues that affect real people in all walks oflife, now and in the past.

Drugs . . . in FocusThere are many fascinating stories to tell about the role ofdrugs in our history and our present-day culture, along withthe important facts and serious issues surrounding drug use.While some of the Drugs . . . in Focus features summarizeinformation that you can refer to at a later time when theneed arises, several of them represent an interesting side-light look on a question that you might have wonderedabout. Some examples of the latter type are the following:

What Happened to the Coca in Coca-Cola? (Chapter4, page 89)The Changing Face of Heroin Trafficking in theUnited States (Chapter 5, page 118)Strange Days in Salem: Witchcraft or Hallucinogens?(Chapter 6, page 139)Salvia divinorum: A New Hallucinogen on the Hori-zon? (Chapter 6, page 155)Can You Control a Marijuana High? (Chapter 7,page 165)Disqualified by DNA? (Chapter 8, page 186)THG and the War on Performance-Enhancing Drugs(Chapter 8, page 195)

Visualizing the Disparity of Alcohol Consumption inthe United States (Chapter 9, page 210)Expectancy Effects and the Paradoxical Effect of Caf-feine on Alcohol-Induced Impairment (Chapter 9,page 223)Is Controlled Drinking Possible for Alcoholics? (Chap-ter 10, page 248)Cigarette Purchases and the Internet (Chapter 11,page 261)Lighting Up in Hollywood: Rating Your Latest Moviefor Tobacco Use (Chapter 11, page 271)Why There Are No (Live) Flies in Your Coffee (Chap-ter 12, page 286)Is There Any Truth Regarding “Truth Serum”? (Chap-ter 15, page 341)Abraham Lincoln, Depression, and Those “Little BluePills” (Chapter 16, page 364)The Folsom Field Beer Ban (Chapter 18, page 415)

Health LineHelpful information regarding the effectiveness and safetyaspects of particular drugs, specific aspects of drug-takingbehavior, and new medical applications can be found inHealth Line features throughout the book. Here are someexamples of Health Line features:

Effects of Psychoactive Drugs on Pregnant Womenand Newborns (Chapter 2, page 45)Dopamine and Reinforcement: Both the Chicken andthe Egg (Chapter 3, page 79)When Is a Binge Not a Binge? (Chapter 9, page 211)A Self-Administered Short Michigan AlcoholismScreening Test (SMAST) (Chapter 10, page 234)Visualizing 400,000 to 450,000 People (Chapter 11,page 265)Ten Tips on How to Succeed When Trying to QuitSmoking (Chapter 11, page 276)Death by Prescription Error (Chapter 14, page 326)Treatment and Prevention through Aspirin and OtherNSAIDs (Chapter 14, page 328)Hallucinations, Schizophrenia, Drugs, and the Brain(Chapter 16, page 362)

Health AlertInformation of a more urgent nature is provided in theHealth Alert features. You will find important facts thatyou can use to recognize the signs of drug misuse or abuseand ways you can respond to emergency drug-taking sit-

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uations, as well as warnings about risk situations. Exam-ples of some Health Alert features are the following:

Adverse Effects of Drug–Drug and Food–Drug Com-binations (Chapter 3, page 66)MDMA Toxicity: The Other Side of Ecstasy (Chapter6, page 150)The Symptoms of Steroid Abuse (Chapter 8, page 192)Emergency Signs and Procedures in Acute AlcoholIntoxication (Chapter 9, page 217)The Risks of Web Pharmacies/The Allure of ForeignDrugs (Chapter 14, page 331)

Point/Counterpoint DebatesDrug issues are seldom black or white, right or wrong.Some of the most hotly debated questions of our day in-volve the use, misuse, and abuse of drugs. These issues de-serve a good deal of critical thought. This is the reason Ihave written a Point/Counterpoint debate at the end ofeach of the five sections of the book. I have taken five im-portant controversies concerning drugs, collected the pri-mary viewpoints pro and con, and simulated a debate thattwo hypothetical people might have on that question. I in-vite you to read these debates carefully and try to cometo your own position, as an exercise in critical thinking.Along with a consideration of the discussion questionsthat follow each feature, you may wish to continue thedebate in your class.

New to This EditionThe fourth edition has been enhanced by an increased at-tention to major theoretical perspectives in the field ofdrug abuse and an expanded coverage of contemporaryissues and concerns. Here are some examples:

Continued emphasis on the Biopsychosocial Modelthroughout the book, conceptualizing drug-taking be-havior as a complex interaction of biological, psycho-logical, and social factors.Continued extensive coverage of important theoreti-cal perspectives in drug abuse: the Family Systems Model(Chapters 1, 17, and 18), the Public Health Model (Chap-ters 1, 2, and 18), the Harm Reduction Model (Chapter2), and positions opposing the Disease Model in alco-holism and other forms of drug abuse (Chapter 10).New and expanded sections on important contempo-rary issues of public concern: risk and protective factorsin explaining drug use among young people (Chapter1); Ecstasy and the popularity of so-called club drugs(Chapters 1, 4, 6, and 15); the importance of behaviortolerance in drug craving (Chapter 2); dietary supple-

ments as alternative medicines (Chapters 1, 14, and 16)and as athletic performance enhancers (Chapter 8);methamphetamine abuse (Chapter 4); prescriptionpain medication abuse, specifically regarding Oxy-Contin (Chapter 5); marijuana withdrawal and craving(Chapter 7); medical marijuana (Chapter 7); steroidabuse and body-image problems among males (Chap-ter 8); new FDA-approved oral-fluid drug-testing sys-tems (Chapter 8); cardiovascular benefits of moderatealcohol drinking (Chapter 9); public health and eco-nomic impact of the 1998 tobacco settlement (Chap-ter 11); images of smoking in movies and other formsof entertainment media (Chapter 11); antioxidant ac-tions of chocolate (Chapter 12); randomized controlledtrials of nine prominent herbal preparations (Chapter14); subcategories of anxiety disorders (Chapter 15);GHB date/acquaintance rape (Chapter 15); drug-of-fense sentencing with regard to drug-abuse treatment(Chapter 17); detailed questions to ask when seeking adrug-abuse treatment facility or program (Chapter 17);model school-based and community-based preventionprograms (Chapter 18); and the culture of alcohol andother drugs in college (Chapter 18).

The Levinthal Web SiteThe companion web site for the book can be accessed atwww.ablongman.com/levinthal4e. This web site containslearning objectives, web links to relevant sites of interest,and online practice tests. These multiple-choice and true-false practice questions allow you to assess your mastery ofthe course content before you take an actual test.

The Research Navigator™ FeatureThe following Research Navigator icon appears through-out the chapters:

The Research Navigator feature gives you the opportunityto explore four major databases that will provide resourcesfor research assignments pertaining to topics specificallyhighlighted in Drugs, Behavior, and Modern Society,fourth edition, as well as other topics you might wish topursue. The following databases have been chosen tomaximize your efforts in getting in-depth and up-to-the-minute information about drug use, misuse, and abuse.

EBSCO Academic Journal and Abstract Database:journal articles, abstracts, and research citations.New York Times on the web (twelve-month access): full-text articles from the entire New York Times archive.

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Financial Times (twelve-month access): full-text arti-cles in the world of business from the entire FinancialTimes archive.Link Library: editorially selected “best of the web” sitespresented alphabetically by discipline.

In addition, Research Navigator will take you step-by-stepthrough the research process itself so that you cancomplete research assignments more confidently andefficiently.

Other FeaturesAdditional aids to your learning experience are a runningglossary positioned on the page where new terminologyis first introduced and, when necessary, a pronunciationguide for difficult-to-pronounce drug names and terms. Atthe end of each chapter, a summary presented in a bul-leted list allows an easy review of the chapter’s mainpoints. An alphabetized list of key terms that have previ-ously been presented in the running glossary is provided,along with the page number where each of the terms firstappeared.

I welcome your reactionsto Drugs, Behavior, andModern Society, fourthedition. Please send anycomments or questions to

the following address: Dr. Charles F. Levinthal, Depart-ment of Psychology, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY11549. You can also fax them to me at (516) 463-6052 ore-mail them to me at PSYCFL@hofstra.edu. I hope to behearing from you.

In the course of writingthis edition of the book,as well as the previous

editions, I have received much encouragement, assis-tance, and expert advice from a number of people. I have

benefited from their generous sharing of materials, knowl-edge, and insights. The research librarians at the AxinnLibrary of Hofstra University were immensely helpful ingathering information for this book. Meredith Poulten,director of the Walk-In Center in Medway, Massachusetts,became the subject of the Portrait feature in Chapter 18and provided me with a unique and personal insight intothe real-world challenges that face professionals who areworking with young people today. I also appreciate thehelp of an anonymous reviewer whose course syllabus in-spired the Health Line Feature on page 265.

I am very fortunate to have worked with a superbteam at Allyn and Bacon. I am especially indebted to myeditor, Kelly May; her editorial assistant, Adam White-hurst; and my editorial production administrator, BethHouston. Their professionalism and friendship are greatlyappreciated. I also want to acknowledge the efforts ofthose individuals whose talents and expertise contributedso much to the production quality of this book: AndreaCava, project editor; Carol Somberg, designer; Jill Hobbs,copyeditor; PoYee Oster, photo researcher; and PeggyMiddendorf, proofreader.

A number of manuscript reviewers, whose identitieshad been kept secret from me up to now, made invaluablesuggestions as I worked on the fourth edition. Now I knowtheir names, and I thank each of them for their help: PerryFuchs, University of Texas at Arlington; Steven E. Meier,University of Idaho; William Meil, Indiana University ofPennsylvania; Stephen M. Siviy, Gettysburg College; andKenneth F. Szymkowiak, Capella University.

On a more personal note, there are others who havegiven me their support over the years and to whom my ap-preciation goes beyond words. As always, I thank mymother, Mildred Levinthal, and my mother-in-law,Selma Kuby, for their encouragement and love.

Above all, my family has been a continuing source ofstrength. I will always be grateful to my wonderful sons,David and Brian, for their love and understanding. I amespecially grateful to my wife, Beth, for her abiding love,support, and complete faith in my abilities.

Charles F. Levinthal

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An Invitation toReaders

Acknowledgments

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