Education

The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) defines addiction as a treatable, chronic medical disease involving complex interactions among brain circuits, genetics, the environment, and an individual’s life experiences. People with addiction use substances or engage in behaviors that become compulsive and often continue despite harmful consequences. Prevention efforts and treatment approaches for addiction are generally as successful as those for other chronic diseases such as diabetes or congestive heart failure. For clinical and research purposes, addiction is divided into separate diagnoses, or disorders, based upon the substance of addiction.

Here, you can find links to additional resources for learning about the different substance use disorders and the evidence-based treatments available for each.