The contribution of psychoanalysis to the understanding of drug dependence is critically reviewed and examined from historical and theoretical perspectives. In the earlier theories the emphasis was primarily on the regressive and libidinal aspects of the effects of drugs. The level of conceptualization was that of the instinct theory, the motivation being that of pleasure. In recent years there has been a shift towards viewing the motivation as attempts at self-medication and self-care rather than primarily pleasure-seeking. The lack of empirical evidence in support of these theories is noted.