This book is the outcome of the First International Congress on Drugs and Alcohol to be held in Israel. Both the conference and this volume grew out of the need to overcome the specious man-made barriers which continue to separate intervention plans and efforts in the broad field of substance use and misuse. This need demands that all of us become aware not only of the differences which may separate our concerns, but also of the similarities in our goals and endeavors. We are obligated to draw together toward a common effort for the common good. The conference was designed to facilitate the exploration ot generic ssues. This volume is designed to document a variety of factors which are basic to the defining, selection, planning, implementation, and evaluation of substance use and misuse intervention. This book is not a traditional proceedings volume. Because the needs of a listening audience are quite different from those of the solitary reader, and the roles of a workshop or plenary session participant are also dissimilar from those of the reader, not all of the Congress presentations are included, and the articles that are included have undergone major revi sions. Current intervention needs and options demand a broad spectrum of clearly defined roles for all who are or should be involved. Hence these issues, among others, served as guidelines in the preparation of the revised articles."

This book is the outcome of the First International Congress on Drugs and Alcohol to be held in Israel. Both the conference and this volume grew out of the need to overcome the specious man-made barriers which continue to separate intervention plans and efforts in the broad field of substance use and misuse. This need demands that all of us become aware not only of the differences which may separate our concerns, but also of the similarities in our goals and endeavors. We are obligated to draw together toward a common effort for the common good. The conference was designed to facilitate the exploration ot generic ssues. This volume is designed to document a variety of factors which are basic to the defining, selection, planning, implementation, and evaluation of substance use and misuse intervention. This book is not a traditional proceedings volume. Because the needs of a listening audience are quite different from those of the solitary reader, and the roles of a workshop or plenary session participant are also dissimilar from those of the reader, not all of the Congress presentations are included, and the articles that are included have undergone major revi sions. Current intervention needs and options demand a broad spectrum of clearly defined roles for all who are or should be involved. Hence these issues, among others, served as guidelines in the preparation of the revised articles."

The personality of the individuals who use a variety of sub stances, singly or in combination, which are legal or illegal in status, for non-medical reasons, has been of interest and concern to a variety of intervention agents and groups for many decades. Indeed, a review of the literature leads to the conclusion that this interest has in no way waned. More and more articles and books are written, and more and more research is planned and carried out, which are designed to describe the personality of the knOWll-yisible drug user(s). If anything this interest has broadened to include the spouse of the drug user, his or her parents, and at times the child of the drug user. In simplistic terms the thesis is posited or hinted at, that a specific type of individual will use "drugs" in a socio-cultural un acceptable manner. And the critical factor which is pinpointed to explain this type of drug use is the personality/character-traits of the individual, alone or in combination with other factors. These latter factors can include, among others, the primary and secondary effects of drugs, the meaning attributed to the manner of using drugs (oral, intravenous, intramuscular, sniffing, smoking, etc., ) as well as to the drug experience, the external environment, gen etics, drug availability, individual and group coping skills; as well as socio-political-economic factors."