Resources
Background
- Drugs, Brains, and Behavior: The Science of Addiction
Evidence-based information about what drug misuse and addiction is, what happens in the brain, and how to treat and prevent. - Everything You Think You Know About Addiction is Wrong
A 15-minute Ted Talk discussing what causes addiction and looking at better ways we can treat it from the personal point of view and experience of the presenter, Johann Hari. - How Addiction Happens
A 7-minute video addressing teens and the basic ‘ingredients’ of addiction, how it can happen, and how it might be prevented. Created by a family in response to a lived experience. - Heroin and Veterans
A 3-minute NBC newscast video about heroin use by veterans,looking at one person’s personal story. - Why Are Drugs So Hard To Quit?
A Kahoot science game that helps students understand the science of addiction. (NIH: National Institutes of Health) - Alcohol and Your Brain
A 4-minute video-simulated roller-coaster ride through the brain to learn about the harmful effects of alcohol on five different brain structures. - What is Tolerance?
A 3-minute video explaining the science behind tolerance in relation to addiction. (Detox to Rehab series) - Methods of Drug Administration
An 8- minute video summary of the methods of drug administration. When a patient must be administered a drug in a medical setting, how does this occur? Pills or tablets can be ingested orally. There are topical creams, tubes, injections, and more. How does each one work, and why would one select that method over another? From the ‘Professor Dave Explains’ video library. - Pharmacokinetics: How Drugs Move Through the Body
An 8-minute video that explains pharmacokinetics, which is how drugs move around the body to get to where they need to go. From the ‘Professor Dave Explains’ video library. - Pharmacodynamics: Mechanisms of Drug Actions
An 8-minute video that explains pharmacodynamics, which is how drugs interact with target proteins to elicit particular cellular response and psychological effect. From the ‘Professor Dave Explains’ video library.
Data & Statistics
- National Safety Council: Drug Overdoses
2022 data summary and details reflecting drug overdoses in the United States 1999-2022. Sourced from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) (you can explore these sites for expanded data). - National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH)
An annual survey collecting data that provides estimates of substance use and mental illness at the national, state, and substate levels. Covers 1998-2022. Hosted by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
Treatment
- Treatment and Recovery
This article outlines some of the research-based methods developed for treating substance use disorders. A section of Drugs, Brains, and Behavior: The Science of Addiction. (NIDA: National Institute on Drug Abuse) - Recovery and Recovery Support
This article defines the principles of recovery and support and offers a variety of links to educational and supportive resources. (SAMHSA: Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration) - FindTreatment.gov
This site is a portal to finding treatment options for mental and substance use disorders. It offers information explaining addiction and substance use disorders and understanding payment options. (US Department of Health & Human Services / SAMHSA: Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration) - Recovery Resources
This site offers information on recognizing the signs of addiction and a variety of links to find help, treatment options, understanding recovery, and information on prevention resources. (DEA: U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration)