This unit introduces students to issues relating to a major public health problem: the misuse of alcohol and other addictive drugs. The unit introduces students to two major aspects of this area: issues relating to the development of health prevention/health promotion policy, covering the philosophies of harm minimisation and zero tolerance; approaches to rehabilitation and treatment of those overusing both alcohol and other drugs. The unit commences with an analysis of public health policy approaches to the rehabilitation and treatment of people overusing alcohol and other harmful drugs. Students will be required to undertake an exercise involving an analysis of the effectiveness of the two major policy approaches to the problem of drug overuse and abuse: harm reduction and zero tolerance. They will be required to examine the evidence supporting these two approaches to public health policy. In the second part of the unit students will study the major therapeutic approaches to treatment and rehabilitation. This will include familiarisation with Alcoholics Anonymous, clinically based approaches including transactional analysis and other group therapy oriented approaches, the various behavioural therapies, therapeutic communities, methadone maintenance, needle exchange and recent trails in safe injection facilities. They will become familiar with the nature of services offered, the role of the various health professionals in these services and the nature of effective treatment and rehabilitation outcomes.