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Drug, Brains, and Behavior: The Science of Addiction

About the Course

Groundbreaking discoveries about the brain have revolutionized our understanding of compulsive drug use, enabling us to respond effectively to the problem. As a result of scientific research, we know that addiction is a medical disorder that affects the brain and changes behavior. Despite these advances, we still do not fully understand why some people become addicted to drugs or how drugs change the brain to foster compulsive drug use. This booklet aims to fill that knowledge gap by providing scientific information about the disorder of drug addiction, including the many harmful consequences of drug use and the basic approaches that have been developed to prevent and treat substance use disorders.

This course is based on the article, Drug, Brains, and Behavior: The science of Addiction created by NIDA staff in 2018.

Publication Date:

NIH Publicatoin No 18-DA-5605 2018

Course Material Author

NIDA staff

NIDA staff authored the material only, and was 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.

Course Creator

Keith Gibson, Ph.D.
Dr. Gibson is a Clinical Psychologist with over 30 years in research, clinical and consulting practice. He has also held leadership roles in research administration and program evaluation and more recently has specialized in program evaluation and system analysis. He draws upon his years of expertise as a practicing psychologist, administrator, researcher and technologist to help universities evaluate their programs to implement, meet, and maintain CACREP standards.

Recommended For:

Addiction professionals, counselors, marriage and family therapists, psychologists and social workers. This course is appropriate for beginners.

Course Objectives:

After taking this course, you should be able to:

  1. Define addiction and list risk factors associated with addiction
  2. Describe how drugs affect the human brain
  3. Idenitfy common treatments from drug addiction

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: Keith Gibson, Ph.D.

There are no relevant disclosures.

Commercial support

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

Exam Questions

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FAQs

  • Is this course approved for my continuing education requirements?

    Yes, most likely. Look Up Your State Board for more detailed information. Logged-in site members will see the relevant approval information displayed in the Approvals tab for every course.

  • Do you have accommodations for my disability (ADA)?

    If you are having trouble using Addiction Counselor CE, please contact us! We would be happy to accommodate your needs right away, and your input will help us make Addiction Counselor CE more accessible for future users too.

  • How do I enroll in this course?

    Use the Enroll In This Course button and just follow the instructions! You don't pay anything until you're ready to take an exam.

  • What do I have to do to complete the course?

    To complete the course, review the course objectives, then review the material, and then pass the exam with a score of 75% or greater and lastly complete an evaluation.

  • How do I access the materials?

    Most of our courses are based on online articles available for free to the public. Some courses, such as those based on books, require that you purchase the material. Use the Materials tab above for more info. You don't need to enroll in the course to access materials, whether free or paid. So you always know what you're getting into before you commit to taking the exam.

  • How do I get my certificate?

    Your certificate(s) will be available to download or email immediately when you pass the course exam and complete the evaluation.

  • Can I contact you for more help?

    Yes! Use the Help widget at the bottom-right of the screen anywhere on Addiction Counselor CE to search our help docs, or to ask our support team for help. Unlike most of our competitors, Addiction Counselor CE has live US-based support reps to help you by email, chat, or phone.

Course Number 102426
1 CE credit hour
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  • Reading-Based Online
Exam Fee $5.97
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