Educational Activities Archives

Understanding addiction is essential to successfully addressing it. In this overview of substance use disorders, we discuss the spectrum of use, neurobiological responses to substances, theories that explain the disorders, public health impact and epidemiology, comorbidity, and integrated care for this chronic condition.

Opioid use disorder (OUD) has highly effective FDA-approved medications for its treatment. This course reviews and compares pharmacological treatment options for individuals with OUD, including methadone, buprenorphine (sublingual and injectable formulations), and naltrexone (oral and long-acting intramuscular formulations). Current evidence for each medication is reviewed in detail, and studies comparing each are discussed. The purpose and goal of medications for OUD are reviewed, and different treatment models are presented. The course includes case vignettes in which medication options for OUD are considered.

This course discusses the importance of integrating opioid use disorder (OUD) pharmacotherapy into general medical settings, and describes models in primary care, emergency rooms, and hospitals where medications for OUD treatment are successfully included as standard care. Through reviews of OUD pharmacotherapy implementation in clinical practice, participants will learn how to adapt these strategies to their own settings. The course also introduces evidence-based counseling approaches to enhance motivation, treatment engagement, and sustained remission. Standard Medical Management (SMM) will be highlighted as an efficient, structured option readily incorporated into primary care. Participants are encouraged to adapt this information for use in their own clinical practices.

Mutual-help organizations (MHOs) such as Alcoholic Anonymous, SMART Recovery, LifeRing and many others, are ubiquitous across the United States and are found in small, medium, and large cities. They can be a valuable addition to treatment plans and extend the reach of the clinician by providing their patients with ongoing paths to recovery via crucial sober social support that has been found to confer valuable relapse prevention skills. This presentation provides education about the origin, types, scope, and theoretical orientation of a variety of MHOs, including new evidence for their clinical and public health utility, as well as evidence on why they are so helpful. Examples of proven clinical strategies to enhance involvement with MHOs during and following treatment will be provided including for those patients taking medications.

Explore the Stages of Change Model and its usefulness in identifying and overcoming barriers to optimal access for opioid use disorder (OUD) services. Attendees will hear from a leading expert with over 25 years of experience in the health and wellness field.

Provides a basic introduction of the concepts of the disease of addiction and the role of the reward system. Using neuroscience concepts as a foundation, clinical manifestations of the disease of addiction are then discussed in the form of case-based presentations.