Program Overview

Pharmacological Aspects of Alcohol and Other Drugs

The course provides historical, cultural, psychological, and neurological perspectives to get a basic understanding of alcohol and drug addiction symptoms and various treatment approaches.

Course Details

• The course is typically available in the Fall quarter.
• The course explores alcohol and other drug dependencies through multidisciplinary lectures, discussions, films, exercises, and readings.
• Students will understand the complicated nature of dependencies as a disease and different substances of abuse.
• The course comprehends the current genetic and environmental research in the development of substance use disorders.
• Students will identify symptoms of addictive disorders and various behavioral and medication-assisted intervention strategies.
• The course evaluates the prevalence of dependencies across the life span among adolescents, seniors, families, and those exposed to trauma.

About This Course

This course provides students with a basic level of understanding of addiction from a historical, cultural, psychological, and neurobiological perspective. The course examines alcohol and other drug dependencies through a multidisciplinary approach with lectures, discussions, film, exercises, and readings. To understand its complicated nature as a disease, the course focuses on different substances of abuse and the current genetic and environmental research in the development of substance use disorders.

Course Objectives

• Understand the biological, developmental, psychological, environmental, and social factors that lead to vulnerability to addictions.
• Identify symptoms of addictive disorders.
• Evaluate the prevalence of dependencies across the life span among target populations, including adolescents, seniors, families, and those with trauma exposure.
• Examine various treatment approaches, including both behavioral and medication-assisted intervention strategies.

Related Programs

Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counseling Certificate

This certificate program acquires the knowledge to become an effective substance use disorder counselor. Students learn the skills to help clients identify and change addiction-related beliefs and behaviors. The program format is remote, with required courses and an in-person internship.