NCJ Number
197514
Date Published
2001
Length
0 pages
Annotation
This videotape from the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment discusses drug and alcohol addition and treatment from a scientific perspective.
Abstract
Made for National Alcohol and Drug Addict Recovery Month, this videotape from the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment focuses on scientific advancements in studying drug and alcohol addiction and treatment. Sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, videotape is a roundtable discussion with four experts in the fields of alcohol and drug abuse and treatment. Moderated by Dennis Wholey, this videotape focuses on the latest treatment, research, and initiatives designed to help researchers use information learned from the science of addiction. The moderator begins by introducing the panel participants: H. Wesley Clark is the Director of the Federal Center for Substance Abuse Treatment; Alan Leshman is the Director of the National Institute for Drug Abuse; Mary C. Dufer is the Director of the National Institution on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism; and, Daniel Honmer, also of the NIAAA, is Chief of Electrophysiology and Energy. The roundtable discussion begins by setting the stage for discussing addiction as a brain disease. With the moderator asking a series of questions such as what do we know about addictions as a brain disease, participants answer questions based on their areas of expertise. Panel participants argue that brain pathways are affected by even subtle amounts of drugs and alcohol, resulting in extreme changes in behavior for addicts. Discussants also indicate that severe addictions share the same brain chemical changes that are seen in individuals with other compulsive behaviors and that brain scans of compulsive drinkers and alcohol users look different than the brain scans of individuals in the normal population. Arguing that the behaviors of alcohol and drug users indicate psychosocial deficits and problems, panel participants argue that the central focus of current research is on the brain chemistry of drug and alcohol addicts. Discussing medical intervention and other treatments, panel discussants describe medications used to treat compulsive behaviors, such as drug and alcohol addiction, and argue that the only successful treatments are those that treat the whole person, their addiction, their behavior, and their emotions. Panel participants conclude that counseling and family support is key to successful drug and alcohol treatment programs.