An assessment of the nature and extent of drug abuse, based on the synthesis of different available indicators, shows that since 1979 there has been an alarming increase in drug abuse among young people in Ireland. Surveys of schoolchildren and young people indicate a sixfold increase in drug experimentation. The number of heroin addicts and other opiate addicts seeking treatment increased 5-6 times during the period from 1979 to 1983. The growing drug problem is also reflected in the increasing number of cases of hepatitis B and of drug-related deaths. A recent study carried out in a northern part of Dublin has revealed that 10 per cent of young people in the "15-24-year" age group were addicted to heroin, while another study has found that only 2.2 per cent of the youth in a southern suburb of Dublin were heroin addicts. Disrupted family life appears to be the major risk factor underlying heroin abuse among young people.