Despite an increase in the investigation of Hong Kong's drug problem, little has been published concerning the causes of continuous drug use or the recovery process experienced by chronic drug abusers. A Brighter Side documents a pioneer longitudinal study of chronic drug abuse in Hong Kong, using an analytical framework to explore the protective and risk factors affecting relapse or abstinence from drugs. The findings have significant implications for theories of drug use and rehabilitation, especially in regards to the role of social capital, self-efficacy, short-term abstinence, and...

Since the First International Conference on the Reduction of Drug-Related Harm, held in 1990, the term 'harm reduction' has gained wide currency in the areas of public health and drug policy. Previously the field was characterized by heated struggle between prohibition and legalization of addictive substances, and this debate tended to obscure practical, collective approaches. Harm reduction, an approach which encompasses various policy directives and program initiatives was inspired by the positive outcomes of such public measures as needle-exchange programs for reduction of HIV risk,...