THERE ARE MANY reasons why people start taking drugs and end up becoming addicted to them. These range from just plain curiosity to the desire to escape life's problems. Whatever the reason, becoming a drug abuser in America is, unfortunately, made easier by the fact that drugs are a widespread part of our culture.

All types of drugs—from aspirin to alcohol—are advertised in the media. The junior high school curriculum for Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) contains a whole unit pointing out the ways that people are pressured by advertisers to use drug and alcohol products. These range from snob appeal ("Only rich and famous people use it") to personal testimony ("Drink Macho Beer! Try it, you'll like it!"). Yet there are relatively few antidrug messages to counteract this barrage. In...