Educational Activities Archives

Stimulant use, including cocaine, methamphetamine and prescription stimulants, continues to be a growing and urgent public health concern. According to the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 9 million people in the U.S. had used stimulants not as prescribed in the past year. Though opioids are often the focus of overdose conversations, stimulant-related overdose deaths reached an estimated 51,630 in 2024, while 59% of all overdoses from January 2021 through June 2024 involved a stimulant (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2025). These trends underscore the critical need for effective treatment and engagement strategies. Several evidence-based behavioral therapies exist to help providers treat stimulant use disorder. This webinar will outline the clinical and administrative approaches to assess, treat and support people experiencing stimulant use disorder.

The learner is presented with foundational information on pain treatment, with a focus on chronic pain. The module reviews material on the sociopsychobiological model of pain and how that impacts treatment approaches, the evidence for pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies for pain, and the recommended strategies for managing chronic pain.

Most treatments and interventions for Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) require that individuals engage in interpersonal communication with their health service providers or individuals in their recovery support network. However, at the specific moment when people resume their misuse of opioids, they are often alone or with people who enable their substance use. This webinar will provide information on the utilization of paced breathing exercises, delivered by smartphone, for self-management of drug cravings, stress, and anxiety. This session will include an overview of just-in-time interventions for substance use disorders, the biological basis for paced-breathing effectiveness, and user experience results from a pilot study.