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Behavioural Models of Drug dependence

A survey of current options to predict a dependence potential in drugs from preclinical behavioural pharmacological studies is given. The most frequently used models pursue an ability of drugs to induce "drug-seeking behaviour", "reinforcing effects", "disriminative effects", and "behavioural withdrawal signs" in the case of the repeated administration abrogation. Thus, the principles of models: a) "drug self-administration", b) "conditioned place preference", c) "drug discrimination", d) "agonistic behaviour" are described.

Opiates: prevalence and demographic factors

This paper focuses on the prevalence and profile of opiate use, primarily heroin, in the United States and Europe. Methods include representative population surveys, which understate prevalence, and targeted approaches, which reflect more problematic use. In the United States and Europe, the lifetime prevalence of opiate use reported in surveys remained stable over the 1980s (around 1 %), though young adults report higher rates. Estimates for the early 1990s suggest that the prevalence of problematic heroin use in the United States was double the average for western Europe. However, in a few European countries prevalence is now approaching that of the United States. Rates in major cities are considerably higher, especially in the north-east and south-west of the United States. Higher prevalence is often, although not always, associated with socio-economic deprivation. An important trend away from injecting is observed, notably in some European countries. Heroin availability and use, as well as serious heroin-related consequences, are increasing again in many European countries after an apparent pause in the mid-1980s. They are also increasing in parts of the United States. Heroin remains a public health priority, especially among vulnerable populations, including young people in central and eastern Europe.

What care is of the high quality? - Quality assurance and evaluation in the services and programmes for drug addicts

The centrál idea of the article is the principle "value for money" applied widely in the evaluation of services in developed countries. "Value" is understood as "quality + effectiveness." The article is focused on the topič of quality of care. At first, criteria are presented, námely standards in the area of training and education, standards of "good practice" including standards of services and programmes, standards of methods, standards based on diagnosis oř čase, and last but not least, ethical standards with an excursion in rights of patients oř clients. In the section on mechanisms there are mentioned particularly the approaches in quality management at workplaces, mutual professional assessment of quality (se. peer reviewing), inspection and accreditation. At each particular topič, the statě of art in the CR, problems and perspectives are presented. The last section is concerned with NGO and their role in the process of quality assurance and evaluation.

The qualitative approach in research of addictions: theoretical resourses and possibilities of application

As a result of constantly increasing drug use and consequent increase of health (both mental and somatic), criminal and socio-economic problems we can observe rising demand for "high-fidelity" knowledge on the terrain situation most recently. In this article we attempt to point out new possibilities brought by qualitative-oriented research as well as show its growing importance in the research areas hardly- oř inaccessible through conservative research tools. After introducing basic theoretical background of qualitative research we focus at several generál research situation for which we consider the using of qualitative methods to be legitimate or even unavoidable.

The problem of clients' evidence and documentation in lowthreshold center

Keeping of clients' anonymity is the key to clients' trust. Is it possible to gain statistic data without loosing their trust? The alternativě is to give the client a code. This systém allows the program to gain statistic data without loosing clients' trust.

The estimate of intravenous drug use in the Czech Republic: questionnaire survey in pharmacies

The goal of our study was to obtain information about the drug scene via data about sale of injection tools to intravenous drug users in local pharmacies. The base of this study is an expert opinion of the seller in each one pharmacy. The data gathering was secured by local drug-coordinators in the whole Czech Republic. The data were gathered in the beginning of 1999, thus they mirror the situation of 1998. We succeeded to gather information from 74 of 77 existing Czech districts (96,1 %), having received 1,234 questionnaires filled; this number represents respondence-rate 68,2 %. After accommodation to the respondence rate we estimate there were 13,657 IDUs buying injection tools in the Czech Republic (132.7 per 100,000 inhabitants) in 1998; they bought approximately 922,616 insulin sets, syringes etc. (8 961.8 per 100,000 inh.). The results are in accordance with other information about the drug scene available; they corroborate the distribution of the injection use already known - most inflicted areas are represented by Northern Bohemia (Usti nad Labem, Teplice, Most), Prague, Northern Moravia (Karvina, Ostrava, Olomouc) and in bigger urban centres of the country. The negative health consequences of intravenous drug use (viral hepatitis C-type respectively its chronic form resulting into cirrhosis) could achieve huge dimensions in our country in the perspective of decades. Together with needles, syringes and insulin-sets from the needle-exchange programs there was distributed around 1.8 million of them in CR in 1998. According to our very rough and conservative estimate this means a minimal monetary value of injection drug-consumption around 1 milliard Czech crowns (US $ 29,000,000).

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