Responding to Drug and Alcohol Problems in the Community : A Manual for Primary Health Care Workers, with Guidelines for Trainers

Drug and alcohol abuse is increasing almost everywhere and constitutes a serious public health problem in many parts of the world.

The problem needs to be tackled at community level, using an integrated approach that combines medical, psychological and social interventions to treat individual patients, provide support to them and their families and mobilize the community to take appropriate action.

This manual describes how members of the primary health care team can respond more effectively to drug and alcohol problems in their community, and provides simple guidance on assessing and managing substance abuse problems at all levels.