Abstract

In recent times, discourse on drug abuse and addiction has taken an upward trend globally; and this might not be unconnected with the phenomenal increase in the rate of drug dependence and its associated problems. As a matter of fact in recent years, the problem of drug abuse and addiction has received a considerable attention especially among Governments, Non Governmental Organizations, International Agencies, Health Workers, Academics and Researchers just to mention few. More recent scholarship has shown that studies on drug abuse and addiction have yielded important insights into both the causes and consequences of drug dependence. Often, the works in the addiction field usually use the pharmacological/medical model, psychological theories of behavior, or operate within the confines of a criminal justice perspective. Perusal of literature has shown that contributions from the field of sociology are not only scarce but also limited to the use of methods of sociological Investigations. However, this explains reasons many people are yet to term with reality about sociological understanding and explanations of drug dependence. Building on this premise, this work#x2019;s purpose is to review relevant sociological theories as discussed in the literature, identify their appropriateness to the understanding of drug abuse and dependence.