The book offers a concise yet comprehensive overview of addiction issues from a social work and social science perspective. It explores addiction in the context of health, taking into account key forms of addiction, their causes and conditions of development, as well as relevant epidemiological data. The addiction support system is examined in its various facets (prevention, counseling, treatment, and support), and new findings and open questions in addiction research are discussed. Evidence-based approaches and sociocultural aspects are integrated throughout.