Use and Abuse of Drugs-A Study in Rayalaseema Region of AndhraPradesh

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, The courage to change the things I can, And the wisdom to know the difference._ -Reinhold Niebuhur (1872-1971) Assessing the extent of drug abuse is difficult as it involves measuring the size of a hidden population (UNODCCP, 2001). The margin of error can be considerable and tend to multiply as the scale of estimation is raised. Detailed information from Asia is available from only a few countries. The available qualitative information only allows guesstimates. For many countries, trend data on abuse reflect 'perceptions' by the authorities. Thus, the data should be treated with caution and should not be taken at face value. Population surveys based on national probability sampling, also called National Household Surveys (NHS), provide information on the proportion of lifetime and current users of each substance. NHS, however, does not provide the most comprehensive picture. It reflects the overall level of drug use and lists commonly abused substances among general population in the country as a whole. Data from NHS needs to be supplemented by information on "hard to reach" groups and marginalised populations