Host: Ron Beard, University of Maine Cooperative Extension Studio Engineer: Amy Browne Program Topic: Addiction—Emerging Research and Best Practices in treatment Key Discussion Points: What is the most recent research, leading to an understanding of addiction as a chronic health issue “addiction falls along the spectrum of behavioral disorders with clear genetic neurobiological and environmental influences” Where does addiction show up in humans… to what are we addicted? What factors influence human tendency toward addiction… how much is genetic, how much is environmental? How do humans become addicted… what happens when they try to eliminate the things that they are addicted to? How has this research changed how addiction is treated? What factors are behind the current trends in opioid addiction? What are the public policy choices that relate to opioids? What do policy makers most need to consider when devising solutions to problems like the opioid problem? What are helpful community responses to opioid and other addictions? Guests: Dr. Dan Johnson, Executive Director, Acadia Family Center Dr. Vivek Kumar, Assistant Professor, The Jackson Laboratory and board member, Acadia Family Center

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