Drug and alcohol use in the former Soviet Union: selected factors and future considerations.

As new nations form out of the wreckage of the Soviet Empire, they will be encumbered by the persistent political, economic, and social problems that have plagued this region for centuries. Today, the leaders of the emerging central Eurasian area are focused solely on political and economic concerns. They are paying little attention to the drug use that, like the more traditional heavy alcohol use, is a means by which many people of this region escape the reality and manifold uncertainties of today's world. If and when the political and economic climate of the central Eurasian area stabilizes, regional leaders will face an addiction problem that will have, by then, become the region's greatest obstacle to social progress and sound public health.