The Neuroscience of Addictions

This course connects recent neuroscience in addictions with counseling practices. Starting with basics of brain systems with emphasis on the “reward and reinforcements” pathways and building to understanding specific drug actions in the brain and on behaviors, this course focuses on application for everyday services. Conditioning and counter-conditioning, learned behaviors, pharmacological agents for addictions and other medications, and science and clinically informed interventions for substance related disorders will be identified and explained. Co-Occurring disorder patterns and simultaneous interventions will be explored. Topics covered include: mechanisms of intoxication and withdrawal; relapse and rebound; dependency vs. addiction; medications and drugs; cross-tolerance and interactions with other substances. A brief examination of “process” addictions like sex, gambling and shopping will be held using brain based mechanisms.

Level: Intermediate                              Hours: 8 hours