This booklet provides background information on the legal, medical, social and historical aspects of drugs used for non-medical purposes in Ireland. Originally published in 1985, it contains chapters on alcohol, solvents, cannabis, tobacco, caffeine, amphetamines, cocaine, LSD, magic mushrooms, sedatives, heroin and other opiates and this edition also includes information on MDMA (ecstasy) and a new entry on methadone. It aims to provide technical information in a jargon-free manner as a document for teachers, healthcare and welfare professional, community and other voluntary groups who need information on the effects of drugs on the human body.