The authors attempt to assess the knowledge or primary care physicians about drug addiction and to determine to what extend it depends on the time of work in the medical profession. The survey covered 410 first contact physician working at district ambulatories and health centre in the Lublin region. A questionnaire was used.

The study showed that the physicians, regardless of their time of work in the medical profession, acquire information on drug addiction mainly from extra-medical sources - from the mass media, books, and in small proportion, from scientific studies.

According to the respondents, young people are most often induced to take drugs by their friends and lack of their parents’ interest.

It was shown that symptoms of drug intoxication were better recognized by younger doctors (who have worked less than 15 years). Ways of taking drugs are well known to the respondents: inhalation and vein injection were mentioned most often, smoking - least often. Small percentage of the respondents, regardless of their time of work as physicians, knew modern methods of drug addiction treatment. Their opinion about using methadone therapy also did not depend on their time of work in the medical profession. Only one in three respondents was convinced that its use was justified.

More than a half of the respondents met drug addicts in their practice. Their most frequent reaction was to contact the parents. More experienced physicians persuaded addicts to start treatment significantly more often than their younger colleagues.