Understanding Addiction

Explore addiction treatment with the experts at CQUniversity

Addiction has a significant impact on our global society. However, responses and attitudes to addiction are changing and leading to more effective treatments, thanks to the advancement of science.

On this six-week course, you’ll discover how an understanding of the complex science of addiction can improve a patient’s quality of care.

You’ll identify the dominant models and theories of addiction and explore how they can impact intervention responses and treatment of a patient.

Guided by the experts at CQUniversity School of Nursing, Midwifery, and Social Sciences, you’ll gain a comprehensive understanding of addiction as a disease to help you provide better and more effective care for your patients.

Understand the scientific theory of addiction

You’ll learn to describe the key components of a good scientific theory, to determine the best models to follow to develop effective treatment responses.

With an understanding of the science of drug and alcohol addiction, you’ll also explore its societal and cultural impacts. This appreciation of the effects of addiction will help you identify routes to help reduce the toll on individuals, families, and society.

Explore addiction treatment as a healthcare professional

Once you have outlined the different models of addiction, you’ll identify how these can inform both prevention and treatment interventions.

You’ll also explore psychopathology in the context of addiction, to understand how it can be studied as a mental disorder to provide more bespoke treatment.

By the end of the course, you’ll have a deeper understanding of your role as a health professional and how to improve the quality of care for your patients with addiction.

This course was designed for anyone working in healthcare who may have to interact with patients who have addictions. It is relevant for anyone working in drug and alcohol rehabilitation, social workers, counsellors and community volunteers.

Whilst not specifically aimed at those looking to support or address their own addiction concerns or those of family/friends, this course should still be accessible andenlightening for general interest learners.

• Introduction to Addiction
• Introduction
• Recreational Drugs
• Prescribed Drugs
• Illicit Drugs
• Wrap Up
• Understanding Addiction
• Introduction
• What is Addiction
• Tolerance & Withdrawal
• Week two wrap up
• Models of Addiction
• Introduction
• Models of addiction
• Week three wrap up
• Harm Reduction
• Introduction to harm reduction
• Evidence-based harm reduction interventions
• Week four wrap up
• Assessment