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When Painkillers Become Dangerous: What Everyone Needs to Know About OxyContin and Other Prescription Drugs

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About the Course

Whether prescribed by a physician as OxyContin or purchased on the street as “hillbilly heroin,” painkilling drugs are extremely effective in eliminating physical, emotional, and psychological distress. The problem is that these drugs are also incredibly addictive. Misuse of and addiction to prescription pain medications has become America’s latest complex and alarming drug-abuse trend. If you are concerned about a loved one’s use of pain medications or have questions about your own use, you need to read this book.

This course is based on the book, When Painkillers Become Dangerous: What Everyone Needs to Know About OxyContin and Other Prescription Drugs created by Robert J. Meyers, Ph.D., Drew Pinsky, M.D., John Gardin, Ph.D., William White, M.A., Stephanie Brown, Ph.D., and Marvin D. Seppla, M.D.

Publication Date:

2004 First Edition

Course Material Authors

Course Material Authors authored the material only, and were not involved in creating this CE course. They are identified here for your own evaluation of the relevancy of the material this course is based on.

Robert J. Meyers, Ph.D.
Robert J. Meyers, Ph.D., a research associate director of psychology at the University of New Mexico and associate director of the Lifelink Training Institute in Santa Fe, New Mexico, created the scientifically validated CRAFT model that teaches family members how to intervene with loved ones who are abusing or addicted to alcohol and other drugs.
Drew Pinsky, M.D.
Drew Pinsky, M.D., is program medical director of chemical dependency services at Las Encinas Hospital in Pasadena, California.
John Gardin, Ph.D.
# John Gardin, PhD., is a licensed psychologist with experience in the treatment of addictive disorders and sexual abuse. Currently, Dr. Gardin is a co-founder and co-director of training at the LifeLink Training Institute and director of behavorial health services at the LifeLink family shelter in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is an adjunct professor of pyschology at the University of New Mexico.
William White, M.A.
William White, M.A., a senior research consultant at Chestnut Health Systems, has a master's degree in addiction studies and more than thirty-five years of experience working in the addictions field.
Stephanie Brown, Ph.D.
Stephanie Brown, Ph.D. is a pioneering researcher, clinician, author, teacher, and consultant in the addiction field. She is the director of the Addictions Institute in Menlo Park, California, where she also has a private practice. She is a research associate at the Mental Research Institute in Palo Alto, California, where she co-directs the Family Recovery Research Project.
Marvin D. Seppla, M.D.
Marvin D. Seppala, M.D., is corporate medical director at the Hazelden Foundation. Prior to working at Hazelden, Dr. Seppala was chief of psychiatry and an addiction medicine psychiatric consultant at Springbrook Northwest in Newburg, Oregon. He is a member of the American Society of Addiction Medicine and a founding member of the Oregon Society of Addiction Medicine.

Course Creator

Recommended For:

This course is recommended for health care professionals, especially addiction counselors, psychologists, mental health counselors, social workers, and nurses who seek knowledge about the dangers of OxyContin and other prescription drugs. It is appropriate for all levels of knowledge.

Course Objectives:

After taking this course, you should be able to:

  1. Understand how addiction to painkilling medication develops.
  2. Describe what happens in addiction treatment.
  3. Learn about the early legal uses of drugs and alcohol for medicinal purposes.

Disclosure to Learners

Disclosure of Relevant Financial Relationships

CE Learning Systems adheres to the ACCME's Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Medical Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CE activity – including faculty, planners, reviewers, or others ― are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (formerly known as commercial interests).

The following relevant financial relationships have been disclosed by this activity's planners, faculty, and the reviewer:

Planners and Reviewers

The planners of this activity have reported that they have no relevant financial relationships.

Faculty: Max Schwanekamp

There are no relevant disclosures.

Commercial support

There is no commercial support for this distance-learning course.

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Course Retired
Course Number 100948
8 CE credit hours
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Exam Fee $47.76
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