Addiction 101: Where We're Going | Dr. Nora Volkow, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse

Sections from today's episode

Encourage your patients to be open and honest about addiction 

How to ask about addiction without judgement and how to intervene 

"By not intervening, we're condoning"

Addiction is a disease of free will and treating addiction is not replacing one drug with another

Today's guest

Nora D. Volkow, M.D., is Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) at the National Institutes of Health. NIDA is the world’s largest funder of research on the health aspects of drug use and addiction.

Dr. Volkow’s work has been instrumental in demonstrating that drug addiction is a disease of the human brain. As a research psychiatrist and scientist, Dr. Volkow pioneered the use of brain imaging to investigate the toxic and addictive properties of abusable drugs. Her studies have documented changes in the dopamine system affecting, among others, the functions of frontal brain regions involved with motivation and self-regulation in addiction. She has also made important contributions to the neurobiology of obesity, ADHD, and aging and to the imaging field.

Dr. Volkow has published more than 780 peer-reviewed articles, written more than 100 book chapters and non-peer-reviewed manuscripts, and co-edited the Neuroscience for the 21th Century Encyclopedia and edited four books on neuroimaging for mental and addictive disorders.

Read her full bio on the National Institute on Drug Abuse website.

If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, there is help available.

SAMHSA National Helpline

Confidential free help, from public health agencies, to find substance use treatment and information.

www.samhsa.gov

1-800-662-4357

Shatterproof

Browse addiction resources from treatment finders to recovery groups to grief support.

www.shatterproof.org/

National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255

Further Learning

National Institute on Drug Abuse

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) supports and conducts research across a broad range of disciplines and leads the nation in scientific research on the health aspects of drug abuse and addiction.

www.drugabuse.gov

Health Management Associates

Helping Communities Improve Care for People with Complex Health and Social Needs

www.HMAedu.com

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