Dr. Nora Volkow Lecture Recap

SMART Recovery was proud to feature Dr. Nora Volkow, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), as the inaugural presenter of the Jonathan Von Breton Memorial Lecture Series.

Her presentation was an eye-opening and informative Master Class in how NIDA-funded research programs and initiatives are yielding scientifically quantifiable results in addiction prevention, treatment, and after care.  She touched on a broad range of topics including more progressive and pragmatic ways to help individuals with Opioid Use Disorders (OUDs) through adaptations in the judicial system, increased role of telemedicine, Naloxone overdose education kits, take-home Methadone protocols, safe injection sites, syringe service programs, and free Fentanyl test strips to combat the tens of millions of Fentanyl-laced street drugs flooding the United States every year.  Dr. Volkow also shared data about the critical role that peer support programs play in intervention, addiction treatment and after-care, especially in the penal system, youth programs, and rural recovery settings. 

SMART Recovery is proud to be a long-time supporter of these and similar strategies, reflected in our successful NIDA-Funded InsideOut Program: A SMART Recovery Correctional Program®, Teen & Young Adults Program, and the Fletcher Group Rural Centers of Excellence initiative to bring SMART Recovery mutual support meetings to rural recovery homes across America.  Especially noteworthy was Dr. Volkow’s strongly-stated position on the need to overcome the stigma associated with addiction treatment so that more individuals feel empowered to get the help that they need, a position shared by SMART Recovery and reflected in our current Take on Addiction campaign.  

Watch the presentation on our YouTube channel.

Click here to view the presentation slides.

PLEASE NOTE BEFORE YOU COMMENT:

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.

• Be kind in tone and intent.
• Be respectful in how you respond to opinions that are different than your own.
• Be brief and limit your comment to a maximum of 500 words.
• Be careful not to mention specific drug names.
• Be succinct in your descriptions, graphic details are not necessary.
• Be focused on the content of the blog post itself.

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!

*SMART Recovery reserves the right to not publish comments we consider outside our guidelines.*