[Podcast] Bridging the Gap Between Treatment and Recovery

Dr. Nora Volkow recently spoke to the SMART Recovery community about the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) holistic approach to helping those with substance use issues. As a follow up to that conversation, we talked with Dr. Wilson Compton, Deputy Director of NIDA, and Dr. Will Aklin, Director of the Behavioral Therapy Development Program, about research on the health aspects and treatment of substance use disorders.

In this podcast, they talk about:

• How their college professors got them excited and passionate about careers in scientific research
• Medications that help with various addictions, including a new focus on stimulant use disorders
• Bridging the gap between treatment and recovery
• Individualized, personal treatments
• Examples of harm reduction measures
• Creating a net positive to society
• The four pillars of overdose strategy: primary prevention, harm reduction, evidence-based treatment, and recovery support
• Explaining the value of CBT and MAT
• How research helps us understand the impact of mutual support and recovery
• The research behind using Contingency Management to shape positive behavior
• Making treatment less intimidating and more welcoming
• Working across boundaries and departments, within the government, to address the drug abuse problems and find solutions

Additional resources:

• Syringe exchange programs
• Overdose Prevention Centers in New York City
• Health & Human Services (HHS) overdose strategy
• Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL)
• Early War-on-Drug Campaigns

• Apple iTunes
• Google Play
• Spotify
• iHeartRadio
• RadioPublic
• The SMART Recovery YouTube channel

Click here to find all of SMART Recovery’s podcasts

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SMART Recovery welcomes comments on our blog posts—we enjoy hearing from you! In the interest of maintaining a respectful and safe community atmosphere, we ask that you adhere to the following guidelines when making or responding to others’ comments, regardless of your point of view. Thank you.

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If you are interested in addiction recovery support, we encourage you to visit the SMART Recovery website.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

If you or someone you love is in great distress and considering self-harm, please call 911 for immediate help, or reach out to The National Suicide Prevention Hotline @ 800-273-8255, https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

We look forward to you joining the conversation!

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