This article reviewed the addictive substance programmes in Iran and around the world. For this aim method, some of studies regarding epidemiology of substance abuse in Iran and demographic characteristics of Iranian substance abusers were reviewed. These studies revealed that although the rate of substance abuse in Iran were increased but during different years it had fluctuated. Also some unpublished studies in Research Unit of Tehran |psychiatric Institute in epidemiology of substance abuse in 1978 were presented. This article showed in spite of government wide efforts in two recent decades for decreasing substance abuse and drug illicit, founding of substance by police has been increased from 5.4 tone opium, hashish and heroin in 1974 to 194.7 tone in 1997. The most frequent substance abusers were in people with age range of 20-35, which in two recent decades had not changed. 60% to 70% of substance abusers were illiterate or had the least reading ability. It seems that in recent years prevalence of substance abuse were increased in marrieds. Although studies in rehabilitation centers showed that the prevalence of substance abuse in males were 10 times higher than females but the studies in epidemiology of substance abuse in Iran showed that the prevalence of substance abuse in male was a little higher than female.