Books on substance use, prevention, and treatment often ask students to hold together pharmacology, family systems, assessment, public health, and intervention. That makes them more reusable than many students expect. With ISBN 9781260834970, though, there is also a format complication: the visible market leans heavily toward digital access. So the first question is not only price. It is whether the course really treats this print route as interchangeable with the digital release.

If you only need the buying answer

The cheapest visible option is 180-day digital access at about $60.00. The current print listing is $71.29, one-year digital is $75.00, and lifetime digital is about $88.75. That makes this a true split case. Digital wins for the cheapest short-term route, while print is still a defensible ownership choice if the instructor accepts the print path and you want a retained copy.

Price comparison

Store	Format	Condition	Price	Link
Merybook	Paperback	New	$71.29	Check price
VitalSource	eTextbook	180 days	$60.00	Check digital option
VitalSource	eTextbook	1 year	$75.00	Check digital option
VitalSource	eTextbook	Lifetime	$88.75	Check digital option

What this price means in practice

This is not a case where print clearly beats digital on price. Digital is cheaper for short-term use. What print offers is a middle ground between timed access and lifetime digital, but only if the course genuinely accepts the print route. That is why the instructor-format check matters more here than in some other books.

If the course is flexible, the choice becomes simple: digital for lowest short-term spend, print if you want a physical copy for longer reuse in counseling, addiction studies, or human-services work.

What this book actually teaches

Drugs in Perspective is useful because it places substance-use issues inside a broader frame that includes pharmacology, social context, treatment, prevention, and applied helping work. A good text in this area helps students move beyond simple drug facts and into a more integrated understanding of use, misuse, and intervention.

That gives it more lasting value than a narrow survey. Students in counseling, addiction studies, and human services often revisit these frameworks later, especially when case material becomes more complex.

Who should choose digital, and who should buy print

Choose digital if cost is the priority and the course is built around the digital ISBN anyway.

Choose print only after confirming the instructor is comfortable with the print route and if you want a retained copy for later professional reuse.

Sources checked

Sources checked: Merybook listing search for ISBN 9781260834970 and VitalSource 180-day, 1-year, and lifetime eText pricing. Pricing reviewed April 19, 2026.