Addiction and the Brain imparts current research on the neurobiology of addiction to chemical dependency specialists, alcohol and drug counselors, nurses, educators, and other professionals who deal with the issues of substance abuse.

Courses in this program meet Washington State's continuing education requirements for 40 hours/course in ethics and law for social workers, marriage and family therapists, mental health counselors, and psychologists. The courses also meet the requirement for 40 hours continuing certification for work in public schools (ESA certification). Addiction and the Brain is a NAADAC approved professional development program for chemical dependency counselors.

It was developed by a Science Education Drug Abuse Partnership Award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health. Its content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official view of NIDA or NIH.

"Drug abuse and addiction are among the most pressing health and social issues facing our nation, posing serious health risks and often tragic consequences for those who are afflicted, and for their families and communities." ญญ (Leshner, 1988). However, research continues to increase our understanding of drug abuse and addiction mechanisms. For example, "a consistent finding in drug-addicted subjects is a lower level of dopamine D2 receptors." ญญ (Volkow et al, 2001).

The Addiction and the Brain Certificate Program focuses on the neurobiology of drug addiction, communicating advances in our understanding of brain function, and the reinforcing properties of drug abuse.

Many books, monographs and reviews have appeared during the past decade featuring research on the neural substrates for reinforcement mechanisms, as well as how drugs like amphetamines, opioids and hallucinogens act through these neuronal systems to mediate their reinforcing effects. These articles, usually not accessible by most educators, have been particularly useful for updating the concepts of reinforcement mechanisms and various factors associated with the addictive process. Although these reviews and articles are highly technical in nature, they contain many of the newer findings in the neurobiology of drug abuse and addiction. Accordingly, Addiction and the Brain gleans relevant information, and translates and modifies it so participants clearly understand the importance of current research in the process of drug abuse/addiction.

Program Goals

• To deepen participants' knowledge of core neuroscience concepts necessary to understand the brain's reward system
• To increase participants' knowledge of the neurobiological mechanisms of addiction
• To increase participants' ability to implement approaches from addiction research in their areas of practice
• To increase connections to the professional community and resources

Program Audience

This certificate program is designed for chemical dependency professionals, K-12 educators, nurses, counselors, social workers, educators in the prison system, members of the judiciary, and lawmakers who deal with issues of substance abuse.

How Online Learning Works

Classes in this certificate program are delivered online via the World Wide Web, which means you don't need to come to campus to earn your certificate: You can study from anywhere. To access your course materials, you'll simply log on to the Internet. You'll use e-mail and online discussion boards to communicate with your instructors and other students. Just like in a classroom course, in these "group-start" online courses, students begin each course at the same time and work through the coursework together. To participate, you'll need a computer with access to the Web. After you are accepted and enrolled in a course, you will be mailed instructions on how to access your classes.