Addiction Course

Lesson 1 • Biopsychosocial Model Overview

Introduces the integrated model linking biological, psychological, and social factors. Provides the analytical lens used throughout the course for case conceptualization.

Lesson 2 • Defining Substance Use and Dependency

Clarifies the spectrum from use to dependency using diagnostic criteria. Anchors all subsequent clinical assessment and treatment planning in precise terminology.

Lesson 3 • Prevalence and Population Impact

Presents epidemiological data on substance use disorders across demographics. Grounds clinical work in awareness of scope, disparity, and public health burden.

Lesson 1 • Genetic and Epigenetic Contributions

Reviews heritability estimates and gene-environment interactions in addiction risk. Informs personalized treatment planning and family psychoeducation.

Lesson 2 • Craving and Relapse Mechanisms

Analyses cue-induced craving, stress reactivity, and prefrontal dysregulation. Links neuroscience directly to relapse prevention strategies covered in later chapters.

Lesson 3 • Neuroadaptation and Tolerance

Describes how repeated exposure causes receptor downregulation and compensatory changes. Explains the physiological basis of tolerance and escalating use patterns.

Lesson 4 • Withdrawal Neurobiology

Details the neurochemical rebound underlying withdrawal syndromes. Prepares clinicians to anticipate symptom severity and medical risk by substance class.

Lesson 1 • Alcohol: Mechanisms and Effects

Covers GABA enhancement, glutamate inhibition, and systemic organ effects of alcohol. Establishes the pharmacological basis for alcohol's high medical withdrawal risk.

Lesson 2 • Opioids: Analgesia to Dependency

Explains mu-receptor agonism, analgesic properties, and rapid dependency development. Prepares clinicians for overdose recognition and medication-assisted treatment rationale.

Lesson 3 • Sedatives, Hypnotics, and Anxiolytics

Reviews benzodiazepine and barbiturate pharmacology, cross-tolerance, and withdrawal danger. Highlights prescribing risks and the clinical challenge of medically supervised tapering.

Lesson 4 • Cannabis, Hallucinogens, and Emerging Substances

Surveys cannabinoid receptors, serotonergic hallucinogens, and novel psychoactive substances. Addresses evolving clinical presentations as new substances enter treatment settings.

Lesson 1 • Diagnostic Formulation and Criteria

Applies current diagnostic criteria to distinguish severity levels and co-occurring conditions. Ensures clinicians document diagnoses that accurately reflect clinical presentation.

Lesson 2 • Risk and Safety Assessment

Covers overdose risk, suicidality, and medical urgency evaluation within substance assessments. Equips clinicians to triage appropriately and document risk decisions.

Lesson 3 • Comprehensive Biopsychosocial Assessment

Guides clinicians through structured intake covering substance history, mental health, and social context. Produces the data foundation for treatment matching and goal setting.

Lesson 4 • Screening Tools and Brief Interventions

Introduces validated brief screening instruments and their appropriate clinical contexts. Establishes early identification as a gateway to timely intervention and referral.

Lesson 1 • Behavioural and Psychosocial Interventions

Surveys evidence-based psychosocial treatments including CBT, contingency management, and MET. Establishes the behavioural treatment toolkit used in subsequent applied chapters.

Lesson 2 • Medication-Assisted Treatment

Reviews FDA-approved medications for opioid, alcohol, and nicotine use disorders. Addresses stigma, adherence, and integration of medication with psychosocial treatment.

Lesson 3 • Patient Placement Criteria

Applies multidimensional placement criteria to match clients to appropriate care levels. Reduces under- and over-treatment through systematic, evidence-based matching.

Lesson 4 • Continuum of Care Framework

Maps the full treatment continuum from acute stabilisation to continuing care. Provides the structural framework for all placement and transition decisions.

Lesson 1 • Integrated Assessment Strategies

Teaches methods to disentangle substance-induced symptoms from independent psychiatric disorders. Accurate differential assessment drives appropriate integrated treatment planning.

Lesson 2 • Common Mental Health Comorbidities

Examines depression, anxiety, PTSD, and psychotic disorders as they present alongside substance use. Prepares clinicians to recognise symptom overlap and avoid diagnostic errors.

Lesson 3 • Trauma-Informed Care in Addiction Treatment

Applies trauma-informed principles to substance use treatment settings and clinical interactions. Reduces retraumatisation risk and improves therapeutic alliance with trauma-affected clients.

Lesson 4 • Integrated Treatment Planning

Guides construction of unified treatment plans addressing both substance and psychiatric goals. Demonstrates how integrated plans improve engagement, retention, and outcomes.

Lesson 1 • Relapse as a Clinical Process

Reframes relapse as a predictable, manageable process rather than treatment failure. Establishes the clinical foundation for proactive prevention planning with clients.

Lesson 2 • Recovery Capital and Support Systems

Assesses personal, social, and community recovery capital as protective relapse factors. Guides clinicians to build recovery-supportive networks and environments for clients.

Lesson 3 • Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention

Integrates mindfulness practices into relapse prevention to address craving and emotional dysregulation. Provides clinicians with structured mindfulness-based protocols for group and individual use.

Lesson 4 • Long-Term Recovery Management

Designs continuing care plans that sustain recovery gains beyond acute treatment episodes. Addresses monitoring, step-down planning, and management of chronic relapse patterns.

Lesson 1 • Core Ethical Principles in Addiction Counselling

Reviews autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice as applied to addiction practice. Grounds all subsequent ethical decision-making in a principled professional framework.

Lesson 2 • Ethical Decision-Making Frameworks

Applies structured ethical decision-making models to complex clinical dilemmas. Develops clinicians' capacity to reason transparently and document ethical choices.

Lesson 3 • Clinician Self-Care and Impairment Prevention

Addresses burnout, vicarious trauma, and personal recovery history as professional risks. Establishes self-care and supervision as ethical obligations, not optional practices.

Lesson 4 • Professional Boundaries and Dual Relationships

Defines appropriate therapeutic boundaries and risks of dual relationships in addiction settings. Prepares clinicians to recognise boundary drift and respond proactively.