Learning objectives:
- Describe how feelings of shame can lead to a cycle of addiction.
- Understand the impact of alcohol abuse on relationships, children, and families.
- Be able to implement effective screening questions for alcohol use disorder.
- Learn about treatment options for opioid use disorders, including Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT).
Abstract:
In this show, we discuss the important topic of addiction. In 2016, the Surgeon General issued the first ever Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health because the number of U.S. citizens struggling with addiction is growing. In that report, he highlighted that more Americans are diagnosed with substance use disorders each year than all types of cancer combined. The total number of deaths involving opioid drugs from 2002 – 2015 also increased 2.8-fold. It is clear from these data that the lives of most Americans have been touched by addiction in some way. We will hear about different forms that addiction can take through personal stories and also expert opinions about concepts important to substance use. This show highlights the cyclical nature of addiction and shame; how substance use can be seen as both a remedy to feelings of shame and a perpetuant of those same feelings.
Outline:
- [1:48] Mike Elkin on the role of substances in lifting shame.
- [16:08] Roger Amory on the challenge of giving up smoking.
- [31:12] Dr. Louise Zubrod on the impact of alcoholism on families.
- [49:50] Lynn Ouellette on parenting a son with heroin addiction.
Discussion questions:
- Are there ways you can imagine framing a discussion about substance use with your patients/clients in order to minimize the shame surrounding this topic?
- What are some questions you use to screen for substance use disorders? Can you think of other questions to assess the effect of substance use on overall functioning?
- One of the greatest challenges is trying to help a loved one who struggles with addiction. If you have a loved one with substance use, did listening to this podcast change the way you think about that individual’s experiences?
- In discussing her son Brendan’s struggle with opioid use, Lynn states that for some people it is a terminal illness. How do you interpret that statement?
Links to additional resources:
Center on Addiction: Provider Resources
Center of Addiction training and resources for providers working with addiction and recovery
American Academy of Health Providers: Resources
Links to addiction resources American Academy of Health Care Providers in the Addictive Disorders
American Society of Addiction Medicine: Resources
American Society of Addiction Medicine
Alcohol Use in Families
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry resource on the effects of alcohol use in families
The Science of Addiction
National Institute on Drug Abuse neuroscience resource
Medication Assisted Treatment for Addiction
National Council for Behavioral Health information on Medication Assisted Treatment
Encouraging People to Stop Smoking
Learning module from WHO about smoking
Motivational Interviewing
Information on Motivational Interviewing (MI)
